1. Segmented assimilation, then and now.
- Author
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Kasinitz, Philip
- Subjects
- *
CHILDREN of immigrants , *IMMIGRANT children , *AGE groups , *STATUS (Law) , *IMMIGRANTS - Abstract
The “Segmented Assimilation” theory first proposed by Alejandro Portes and Min Zhou in 1992 was highly influential in reviving and reshaping the discussion of migrant integration and in refocusing attention onto the second generation in both the US and Europe. While noteworthy for its clarity and logical precision the theory was largely speculative since at that time the children of immigrants were mostly still children. Three decades later, we can appreciate both the theory’s prescience and limitations. Most of the attention paid to Segmented Assimilation focused on one of the predicted outcomes, that of “downward assimilation”. This turned out to be less common than early observers feared. Fears of the emergence of an “oppositional culture” among parts of the second generation also appear to have been overblown. And, as with other discussions of integration of the 1990s, the theory underestimated the importance of legal status in shaping migrant outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2025
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