Distinguish between assimilation and ethnic pluralism and explain why both are functionalist perspectives on racial and ethnic relations

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Assimilation is a process by which members of subordinate racial and ethnic groups become absorbed into the dominant culture. Assimilation occurs in several distinct levels. Cultural assimilation or acculturation occurs when members of an ethnic group adopt dominant-group traits, such as language, dress, values, religion, and food preferences. Cultural assimilation in the United States initially followed an "Anglo conformity" model? members of subordinate ethnic groups were expected to conform to the culture of the dominant white Anglo-Saxon population. Structural assimilation or integration occurs when members of subordinate racial or ethnic groups gain acceptance in everyday social interaction with members of the dominant group. This type of assimilation typically starts in large, impersonal settings such as schools and workplaces. Biological assimilation or amalgamation occurs when members of one group marry those of other social or ethnic groups.

Psychological assimilation involves a change in racial or ethnic self-identification on the part of an individual. Rejection by the dominant group may prevent psychological assimilation by members of some subordinate racial and ethnic groups, especially those with visible characteristics such as skin color or facial features that differ from those of the dominant group. Instead of complete assimilation, many groups share elements of the mainstream culture while remaining culturally distinct from both the dominant group and other social and ethnic groups. Ethnic pluralism is the coexistence of a variety of distinct racial and ethnic groups within one society.

Equalitarian pluralism or accommodation is a situation in which ethnic groups coexist in equality with one another. Switzerland has been described as a model. Inequalitarian pluralism, or segregation, exists when specific ethnic groups are set apart from the dominant group and have unequal access to power and privilege. Segregation is the spatial and social separation of categories of people by race, ethnicity, class, gender, and/or religion. Segregation may be enforced by law. De jure segregation refers to laws that systematically enforced the physical and social separation of African Americans in all areas of public life. An example of de jure segregation was the Jim Crow laws, which legalized the separation of the races in public accommodations (such as hotels and restaurants) in the southern United States after the Civil War.

Segregation may also be enforced by custom. De facto segregation—racial separation and inequality enforced by custom—is more difficult to document than de jure segregation. For example, residential segregation is still prevalent in many U.S. cities; owners, landlords, real estate agents, and apartment managers often use informal mechanisms to maintain their properties for "whites only."