The focal point of this paper is to amalgamate the issues that confront the immigrant in America in the context of Mukherjee’s “Two Ways to Belong in America“. It is argued, does one have to be a citizen of this country to be a benefit to the US society? From a personal viewpoint, it is assertive that one does not need to be a citizen of the US to reap the benefit.
Migration is a subject that is studied on all levels when dealing with humanity and its idiosyncrasies. To understand migration, we must understand the various components involved in migration, including internal migration, external migration, immigration, and both refugees and Internally Displaced Persons. To understand the reasons behind the migration of global women we must first define the various components of migration. Migration refers to the movement of an individual from his or her home country, also known as the source country to another country as his or her destination.
There are various causes for migration including pull and push factors. Pulls would be things that attract people to other areas. In the case of Asian migration to the United States it would be considered the freedoms allowed, the diversity managed, and even the lack of limitations on procreation as would be the case in China. Jobs and weather differences can also cause migration and this has occurred often in certain areas of Asia especially since the tsunami wiped out a majority of the forms of industry throughout the coastal regions of Asia. War in Afghanistan and Bosnia, known as push factors; cause a great number of people to flee to other countries. These women are considered refugees in place of immigrants. It is only humane to accept them even though they are not willing to accept citizenship.
Apart from that, the social and economic factors of postmodern values are the development of concepts like secularization, decontextualization, totalitarianism, mechanization, democratization, centralization, hierarchical organization, individualism, linear progression, homogenization, diversification, hybridization, unification, industrial society, reductionism, universalism, subjectivism, alienation, rationalization, and bureaucracy making the post-Modern society a complex and intricate civilization and thus the individual system developed in that mode.
Yet another interesting feature of post Modern citizenship is the availability of information. This became more easily available due to the development of the internet and similar communication systems that made information abundant. Formerly, the areas that were separated by geographical barriers were broken down after the modern family and thus people became more aware of things happening around them. Under these parameters, it hardly matters whether one is a citizen of a specific country, or not, to explore the benefits of that country.
It can well be stated that the issue of diversity in America is highly accepted and celebrated in the modern era. The evidence is clear and assertive. This is because there are several creeds, race, language, and color operating at the same time in the same fields all at a single time and space. This would not have been possible if the government was not in a truly democratic model, this true nature of democracy yields opportunity for all, and as a result, we can find a huge amount of diversity within the nation.
From the point of view of bilingual individuals, it could also be ascertained that they have complete access to their native language. For example, it can be stated that that the Spanish influx in the southern regions of the US are comfortable speaking their mother tongue and practice the same at their business. There are indeed some sections that believe that there should be only English at least in the parameters of business but that intention is yet to be fulfilled. As a result, it can be easily stated that bilingual individuals have no problem with their mother tongue and they are comfortable with it. However, there are some examples of language problems but people quickly work the problem by learning it.
Perhaps the aspect of religious variation that is most relevant to the possibility of Challenges that Multicultural Face in the U.S is the degree of religious belief in the household. Where religion is extremely important in the family, the children are raised with particular rules and prohibitions and they will participate in the rituals, prayers, and practices of that belief. Religion is the identity and backbone of the children, which will be their guide on how to lead their lives in the world.
From the aspect of culture, it can be stated that, for example, the Jews found a new home but remained attached to the US, economically and morally. The immigrants to the US feel close to their home country but always remained loyal to their newfound homes in the US and enriched the US culture with their indulgence, both economically and morally. After analyzing numerous immigrant and minority texts, a trend takes place where immigrants are more able to overcome the difficulties of adaptation of the narrative more easily, whereas minorities are not. Faith and belief in the American dream can be directly related to the ability to assimilate into the dominant culture as a result an immigrant encompasses a mythic, almost religious, vision of America.
It can be stated that these people mostly realized the American dream. They traveled large distances and found a place to rest. This was a place of work and prosperity. It is also true that they quickly understood the vibe of the US culture and understood that this was a place, which was more aligned to a salad bowl than a melting pot. They found that they would be able to maintain the details and distinctions of their culture even though it was evident that they would soon blend into the cultural parameters of the new country. However, it should be mentioned that the initial generation mostly remained as outsiders but generations to come would easily assimilate into the mainstream. Thus, from the established conditions one can easily be a part of the US even after retaining the original identity.
In this respect, we can state that the US is more of a salad bowl than a melting pot because members of several communities with several creeds, races, languages, and colors operate together with their identities intact. However, some sections believe that there should only be a single American culture and each individual must indulge in it, this culture is supposed to be mostly English flavored, and multicultural children do find it difficult in the initial stages.
The policies that need to be initiated to limit intolerance and racism in the USA would be more freedom of religious and racial practices all over the country. These policies would empower all the cultures to practice their rituals without permission from the authority and should feel free to express themselves regarding their own identity in terms of dress codes and etiquette.
Today, globalization signifies escalating global connectivity, incorporation, and interdependence in the economic, cultural, technological, social, ecological, and political orbs. Globalization has an assortment of characteristics, which influence the world in numerous dissimilar ways. The various forms of Globalization are as such, Industrial Globalization, pseudonym Trans-nationalization is surfacing of worldwide manufacture markets and wider access to an assortment of merchandise for consumers and companies. However, it appeared that the result of this process would be a world with one culture and elements like cultural pride, sovereignty, individuality would fail to exist in the end. The derivation of this conclusion was deciphered with the help of socio-political instrumentation and economic influences that directly affect/affect the rise and fall of culture. All these aspects proved that the world indeed moving towards a one-world culture format but it is not against the will of the general mass but with the gradual approval of the population. Global monoculture is taking over and so the issue of citizenship matters no more within the concept of the global village.
It can well be stated that racism of any form is strictly avoidable and thus it becomes more important to celebrate the unification of diversity in the US as it stands for long-termed success as a country. This is evident that when all the diverse races and religions are juxtaposed into the sense of a single nation with having to change their way of life and likes it would only be beneficial for the country itself as each individual would feel responsible for the country. Thus, to rigidly ascertain the formal citizenship issue holds no truth and anyone should be allowed to retain or discard, accept or disapprove the issue of citizenship to reside in the US, without any pressure or prejudice, much like the Mukherjee sisters in the article.
Works Cited
Mukherjee, Bharati; Two Ways to Belong in America; New York Times; 1996. Web.