M. Patricia Fernandez Kelly, Richard Schauffler
Abstract: The purpose of this article is to find the meaning of segmented assimilation. Segmented assimilation is a term used to qualify generalizations of the past that equated immigrant incorporation with guaranteed socio-economic advancement. The first section of the article summarizes the differences in how people perceive assimilation. Americans initially viewed assimilation optimistically. However, this has become more pessimistically viewed, as economic issues have emerged. The second section of the article argues that the prospects of immigration divide along institutional paths, affecting their position in labor markets and also in collective self-identification. The article analyzes various meanings of assimilation for immigrants arriving in regions with different physical, social, and economic characteristics. In conclusion, segmented assimilation reflects the factual relationship between immigrants and particular segments of the larger society. It acknowledges that the relationship involves a complex process of identity formation, from both the immigrants and the cultures to which they immigrate. Segmented assimilation seeks to make subdivisions in immigration characteristics visible.
Key Words: Segmented assimilation, Immigration, America, Society, Assimilation
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