The integration of immigrant people

Résumé du document

Canada is the second multicultural country in the world after Australia. According to Statistics Canada (2001), 18.4% of the total population in Canada was born outside the country (Caidi, N., & Allard, D. 2005). Many cultures are therefore in contact under the roof of the Canadian nationality. Canada also differs from many other countries in that multiculturalism is part of the national constitution. Indeed, with the creation of a Race Relation Unit in the federal directorate in 1981 then with the Canadian Multiculturalism Act in 1988, Canada showed its commitment to multiculturalism. The question of integration of new comers is very important since multiculturalism is fundamentally about the acknowledgment by the cultural majority of the equal worth of minority cultures (Richard Alba).

Extraits

[...] Indeed, socialization by education plays an important role in the acceptation of difference. The fear of difference is very relevant in the example of the integration of the Haitians and the Indo-Pakistanis of Sikh background. Indeed, they are far less integrated than immigrants from French of British background who are culturally closer. (Montreuil, A., & Bourhis, R. Y. (2004). Moreover, the scapegoating theory can also explain certain behaviours. Indeed, the majority group can report its aggression and frustration on the minority which does not have the possibility to defend. [...]

[...] The political desire to be a multicultural society allows a better integration of new comers. We can divide the assimilation in five different kinds. (Montreuil, A., & Bourhis, R. Y. (2004).) The integrationist orientation means that host majority members accept and value the maintenance of the heritage culture of immigrants and also accept that immigrants adopt important features of the majority host culture. Individualism is an orientation in which national people define themselves and others as individuals rather than as members of group categories such as immigrants or host majority members. [...]

[...] These various attitudes toward immigration should be challenge to reach a higher degree of integration and therefore allows Canada to experience a peaceful multiculturalism. However, we can also wonder if the presence of so many different cultures and their strong affirmation is not a threat to the Canadian identity and the Canadian unity. Indeed, Canada seems to be characterized by the diversity and not by its proper features, language, food Bibliography Montreuil, A., & Bourhis, R. Y. (2004). Acculturation orientations of competing host communities toward valued and devalued immigrants. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 507-532. Harles, J. C. (2004). [...]

[...] Different assimilation's factors can thus take place. Indeed, cultural tradition, marriage, social activity, friends or language are very important criteria in the assimilation of immigrants (Berry, J. W., Phinney, J. S., Sam, D. L., & Vedder, P. 2006). The more they are involved in such activities or institution; the more likely they are to be well integrated in the new society. In addition to these factors that are more socially oriented, it also appears that the political climax of the new country plays an important role. [...]

[...] (2004) This tendency to reject immigrants seems to have been learned from a very complex socialization. According to the symbolic interactionist theory, different symbols are associated with some features in relation with ethnicity and race. These symbols are everywhere in the society and shape the way people see other people. A simplistic example can be that black often represents the evil whereas white symbolizes the good and purity. Therefore, people tend to reject or at least see more negatively coloured people. [...]