Introduction
The experiences of people living in ethnic enclaves have long attracted the attention of many scholars, journalists and writers because they want to understand how these communities are formed, and how the residents of these neighborhoods perceive their identity. This discussion included in this paper will be based on the analysis of literary and scholarly works. For instance, it is possible to refer to such authors as Nella Larsen and Yomme Chang who describe isolated ethnic communities.
Furthermore, one can examine the novel Giovanni’s Room written by James Baldwin who examines the reasons why the representatives of the LGBT community can form their own enclaves. Overall, these people can be affected by different factors such as cultural segregation, poverty, linguistic barriers, homophobia, and so forth. Nevertheless, the critical issue is that they feel marginalized and isolated because some aspects of their identity are not accepted by the society. Moreover, these traits can be viewed as the signs of a certain deficiency. As a result, they can define themselves by race or ethnicity. These are the main issues that should be analyzed.
Distinction between a ghetto and an ethnic enclave
At first, it is important to distinguish such notions as an ethnic enclave and a ghetto because they are not always interchangeable. This term enclave can be applied to any community inhabited mostly by representatives of a certain ethnic group or a minority. In part, this definition can also be applied to a ghetto but such neighborhoods are usually characterized by poverty, inadequate living conditions, and high rates of crime (OECD 36). Moreover, the educational and medical institutions located in these areas are usually inferior in terms of services that they can provide to the residents. Thus, one can say that the term ghetto has significant economic and social connotations. Apart from that, the residents of ghettos have no economic resources for living these places or improving living conditions (OECD 36).
Apart from that, the term enclave can be applied for to specific places that are intended for people who can be stigmatized due to some reasons. For instance, one can speak about LGBT community that has long been discriminated in various countries. So, these people can create their own enclaves. Thus, this term has a wide range of meanings. This information will be important for explaining the differences in the experience of people living in various enclaves.
It should be mentioned that initially enclaves were viewed only as temporary places of residence. Many immigrants could not quickly adjust to the culture of the society. Moreover, they urgently need affordable housing (HoSang, LaBennett and Pulido 323). This is why they stayed in such enclaves. Nevertheless, these communities began to play a critical role in the lives of many minorities because enclaves included churches or schools where the children of immigrants could speak the native language of their parents (Terzano 341). In some cases, enclaves enable individuals to escape stigmatization to which he/she can be subjected due to the existing social conventions. These details will be necessary for identifying the reasons for the formation of enclaves discussed in this paper.
The experiences of people living in ethnic enclaves
Individuals, who live in ethnic enclaves, tend to define their identity by race or ethnicity. To some degree, this behavior can be explained by the fact that this form of identity is imposed on them by other people. This issue is eloquently illustrated by Nella Larsen in her novel Quicksand. For instance, some individuals may argue that certain character traits of a person are determined by his/her race. In particular, one can refer to the following quote, “You can’t get around the fact that her behavior is outrageous and treacherous, in fact. That’s what’s the matter with the Negro race ” (Larsen 57).
So, African Americans are forced to consider race as a part of their identity. This is one of the reasons why they cannot integrate into the community. Moreover, these people are often reminded that that their African origins could shape their destiny. In this case, one can refer to the experiences of the character named Helga described in Larsen’s work Quicksand. For instance, she was often told she would not “amount to anything because of her Negro blood” (Larsen 7). As a rule, such insults prompt a person to make everything possible to demonstrate that these biased statements are not justified. Yet, they can also lead the complex of inferiority.
Additionally, these individuals understand that they represent the lower classes of society. They see that their lives are profoundly affected by poverty, especially at the time when they move out of the ghetto. This argument is particularly relevant if one speaks about Helga at the time when she has an opportunity to travel through Denmark, because she sees that poverty which can be observed in ghettos, does not exist in other developed countries (p. 69).
The character notices that there was “none of that untidiness and squalor which she remembered as the accompaniment of poverty in Chicago, New York, and the Southern cities of America” (Larsen, p. 59). Thus, social class also plays a critical role in the identity of these people, especially if they can observe dramatic inequalities in the living conditions. The key problem is that many of these individuals are not able to leave these ghettos because they were denied important educational and employment opportunities. Admittedly, Larsen’s novel was written in the first half of the twentieth century, at the time, when racist ideology was accepted as one of the social norms. Nevertheless, the legacies of racism are still palpable in the American society.
Yet, it is also important to remember that the experience of people living in ethnic enclaves may not be the same. This argument is particularly relevant if one speaks about Asian enclaves located in various urban and suburban areas of America. In this case, researchers speak primarily about cultural isolation (Chang 1). In fact, they do not always regard such communities as ghettos because this term is associated only with impoverishment (Chang 1).
Admittedly for a long time, the ethnic enclaves formed by Asian immigrants could also be called ghettos since they were profoundly affected by poverty. For instance, one can speak about Chinatowns inhabited by the first generation of immigrants. Nevertheless, the situation has evolved significantly because living conditions in these communities gradually improved as the children of immigrants attained greater economic prosperity. Moreover, many of them established businesses that could serve the needs of Asian Americans (Terzano 341). For instance, one can speak about grocery shops or restaurants.
So, in this case, one should speak more about cultural and linguistic serration. Additionally, some older residents of such enclaves remember that under some circumstances they can be treated as outsiders or even potential enemies, even though they do not violate any laws. These experiences are familiar to Japanese Americans who were interned during World War II (Chang 74).
Additionally, many of these people try to assimilate in the American society. They want to prove that they can live outside the enclave. This detail is examined by Chang-rae Lee who depicts the experiences of a Korean-American male. This person desperately wants to show that he is a native speaker of English (Lee 1). This issue is of great importance to such individuals because their parents could not speak English fluently. As a result, their economic opportunities were rather limited, even though they could be very skilled professionals. In turn, linguistic barriers did not play an important role in the life of African-American communities.
Furthermore, Asian Americans are less likely to face discrimination because there are regarded as a model minority (Chang 4). This term is usually applied to describe those minority groups that are considered to be law-abiding; moreover, it is believed that they are able to raise their social status. As a rule, they are less likely to become the victims of racial or ethnic discrimination. These are some of the distinctions that should be considered in order to explain the differences between various ethnic and racial enclaves.
Admittedly, this discussion is based primarily on fictional works. Nevertheless, the issues that have been discussed by Nella Larsen and Chang-rae Lee are also reflected in various scholarly works. In particular, they also speak about such issues as linguistic barriers, economic inequalities, discrimination and so forth.
Different types of enclaves
As it has been said before, the term enclave should not be regarded only from ethnic or racial perspectives because this notion can be applied to other types of communities. For instance, one can speak about LGBT communities. This issue is explored in James Baldwin’s novel Giovanni’s Room. The author discusses the life of people who regularly attend a gay bar in Paris. It is important to remember that these people do not encounter the obstacle faced by the residents of various ethnic enclaves.
In particular, they do not have to struggle with such difficulties as racial discrimination, linguistic discrimination, or culture shock. Furthermore, these people do not necessarily represent the lower classes of the society. Nevertheless, these individuals prefer to isolate themselves from other people because they need to express their sexual identity without being treated as outcasts. Moreover, such places as Giovanni’s bar can help them overcome certain emotional and problems which are usually caused by the stigmatization of such individuals (Baldwin 5).
In this case, these individuals understand that there are no “penalties attached” (Baldwin 5). This issue is also examined by historians such as George Chauncey who note that LGBT communities were formed because many people tried to search for of privacy (Chauncey 35). This is why some of them chose to open bars, restaurants or resorts that could serve the needs of homosexual people. One should keep in mind that the members of the LGBT community can settle in some neighborhoods where they constitute a significant part of the population. For instance, it is possible to mention the Castro District in California. Sometimes, scholars refer to these communities as enclaves.
Thus, it is important to remember that enclaves can take various forms. In some cases, people prefer to stay in an enclave because they are marginalized by the existing social norms. Very often, these individuals feel the need to express their identity, but they know that this behavior can be condemned by the society. This argument is particularly relevant if one speaks about homosexual individuals who could face legal persecution in the past. This is why many of them decided to conceal their identity.
So, it is possible to speak about different types of enclaves that were created due to different reasons such as racial segregation, poverty, linguistic or cultural barriers, and unwillingness of some people to express their identity in public. However, in each case, one should speak about the isolation of these individuals. They believe that they cannot fully integrate in the society due to certain restrictions.
Conclusion
On the whole, this discussion shows that the experiences of people living in ethnic enclaves have certain similar attributes. In particular, many of them can struggle with various forms of isolation. They believe that they will not be accepted into the mainstream culture and society. Nevertheless, there are some important differences that should be taken into account. In particular, one should speak about the influence of economic environment on the life of a person.
Economic factors play an important role in the life of African-American communities. In contrast, some minority groups can be affected by such factors as cultural and linguistic segregation. These people tend to define their identity in terms of ethnicity or race, if they have to encounter discrimination and biased attitudes. In contrast, the residents of enclaves can be affected by the fear of stigmatization. Yet, this problem is particularly widespread among people who belong to the LGBT community. These are the main points that can be made.
Works Cited
Baldwin, James. Giovanni’s Room, New York: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 2013. Print.
Chang, Yoonmee. Writing the Ghetto: Class, Authorship, and the Asian American Ethnic Enclave, New York: Rutgers University Press, 2010. Print.
Chauncey, George. Gay New York: Gender, Urban Culture, and the Making of the Gay Male World, 1890-1940, New York: Basic Books, 1994. Print.
HoSang, Daniel, Oneka LaBennett, and Laura Pulido. Racial Formation in the Twenty-First Century, Berkerly: University of California Press, 2012. Print.
Larsen, Nella. Quicksand & Passing, New York: Serpent’s Tail, 2014. Print.
Lee, Chang-rae. Native Speaker, New York, NY: Riverhead Books, 1996. Print
OECD. Immigrants, Integration and Cities Exploring the Links: Exploring the Links, New York: OECD Publishing, 1998. Print.
Terzano, Kathryn. “Commodification Of Transitioning Ethnic Enclaves.” Behavioral Sciences 4.4 (2014): 341-351. Print.