Cultural assimilation facts for kids

Cultural assimilation is when a smaller group or culture starts to become like the main, bigger group in a society. This means they might adopt the main group's ways of thinking, behaving, and believing, either completely or partly.

Sometimes, this process happens naturally. For example, people might learn the main language or change how they dress to fit in. It also involves bigger changes, like finding jobs and joining the community where they live.

What is Cultural Assimilation?

Cultural assimilation is a process where a group that is different from the main culture in a place starts to blend in. This can involve many things, from learning a new language to adopting new customs and traditions. It's about how different groups interact and change over time.

Different Ways to Assimilate

There are a few ways cultural assimilation can happen:

• Full assimilation: This is when a smaller group completely blends into the main culture. Over time, their original cultural traits might become less noticeable or even disappear. This often happens naturally.
• Forced assimilation: This is when a government or powerful group makes a smaller group change their culture. This is usually not voluntary.
• Cultural integration: This is a type of assimilation often seen in places with many different cultures (multicultural communities). Here, a smaller group adopts some parts of the main culture, like learning the language for practical reasons, but they also keep their original culture. It's like adding new things without replacing the old ones.

Assimilation vs. Acculturation

You might hear the word "acculturation" too. Some people think cultural assimilation is a type of acculturation, where a group fully changes to the main culture. Others see assimilation as just one step or phase within the broader idea of acculturation.

Acculturation is a wider term that means different cultures meeting and influencing each other. Sometimes, this leads to one group adopting new things while still keeping their own culture. This is called additive acculturation. It means a person expands their cultural knowledge and skills instead of replacing their family's traditional culture.

How Assimilation Happens

Cultural assimilation can happen in many ways. It often involves:

• Language: Learning the main language of the society.
• Appearance: Changing clothing styles or other outward signs to match the main group.
• Social life: Joining local clubs, schools, and community events.
• Work and economy: Finding jobs and participating in the local economy.

When governments use assimilation as a policy, it's called assimilationism. This means they have specific plans to make different ethnic groups fit into the national culture.

See also

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In Spanish: Asimilación cultural para niños