Hispanic Challenge Real? Immigration Is the Hispanic

¶ … Hispanic challenge" real?

Immigration

Is the "Hispanic challenge" real?

The issue of immigration and the assimilation of other cultures into the dominant culture and social context of a country has become an issue of extreme political and social relevance in the world today. This problem or issue has also been exacerbated by the phenomenon of globalization. This is also an issue that is fraught with contentious debate and argument as there is a delicate line between political correctness in an increasingly multicultural world and the perception that national and cultural identity is being threatened by the influx of other cultures.

In the United States this issue is centered on the influx and the establishment of Hispanic and Latino culture in the country, while a similar debate about the influx of immigrants, especially from Africa and the Middle East, in the United Kingdom is ongoing.

This paper discusses the question of the alleged threat of Hispanic culture in to the United States and also compare this to the situation with regard to immigration in Britain. Central to this analysis will be an assessment of the validity or otherwise of Huntington's argument.

2. Huntington's Argument

Huntington argues that the continued and persistent influx of Hispanic immigrants into the United States could lead to the possibility of a division of the country into two different peoples as well as "…two cultures, and two languages." (Huntington 2004) He bases his argument on the fact that the Hispanic population has to a large extent resisted any real assimilation into the mainstream American culture. Consequently, he argues, this threatens the concept of an American national identity. For example he states that Hispanic immigrants have formed their own "…own political and linguistic enclaves & #8230;rejecting the Anglo-Protestant values that built the American dream" and that" The United States ignores this challenge at its peril." (Huntington 2004)

Huntington uses a number of cogent facts to support his argument. For example, he refers to the fact that various Hispanic organizations play a central role in persuading the U.S. Congress to provide authorization for the promotion of Hispanic culture within the mainstream of American society; for instance, in programs for bilingual education. He also notes that the large number of immigrants in certain areas also makes it possible for many Spanish speakers to not have to learn English. He goes on to make the alarming assertion that immigrants could form "an autonomous, culturally and linguistically distinct and economically self-reliant bloc within the U.S.contemptuous of American culture." (Lowenthal 2004)

On the surface there are obvious comparison with the situation in the United Kingdom, where immigration from countries such as Pakistan have created a certain degree of ethnic and racial tension and in some cases even violent reaction. The terrorist attacks of 7/7 in London are also linked in the minds of some to ethic and cultural tension in the country (of the four bombers in this incident, three were from Pakistan). However, as will be argued, the situation in Britain is very different to that of the United States as British culture tends to be more 'closed' and less open to the assimilation of cultures than the United States.

4. Assessment

Huntington's argument is based a number of assertions. The first and most important is that an immigrant culture becomes a threat when it does not assimilate and adopt the dominant norms, values and perceptions of that society. This leads to the view, in the case of the Hispanic issue, that American national identity is being threatened.

The above argument depends to a great degree on what is meant or defined as national identity. Huntington defines national identity in terms of race, ethnicity, culture and religion. He also include the propensity of the initial Protestant ethic in American culture to include, and assimilate, other cultures such as the Irish into as cohesive national identity, but he refers to the essential aspect of culture and creed as defining the American national identity. These include aspects such as the English language; Christianity; religious commitment; English concepts of the rule of law, and Protestant values of individualism and the work ethic. (Huntington 2004)

However, the above definition of national culture and the Hispanic threat to that cultural identity can be countered on a number of levels. Firstly, this view of national identity presumes that this identity is static. It could be argued to the contrary that the American national identity is built on a dynamic and more flexible model of acceptance and understanding of other cultures; after all America has often been referred to as a nation of immigrants. This would therefore suggest that Huntington's argument of the threat of Hispanic culture is overblown and does not take into account this flexibility.

British culture on the other is not generally considered to be a very dynamic and flexible culture. It does not have a history of the acceptance of immigrants. This is possibly a reason why even a relatively small influx of immigrants can lead to severe confrontations. This would then suggest that a different set of issues apply to Britain and that immigration and assimilation is linked to the relatively inflexcible cultural matrix of British national identity. According to some commentators, the British view of immigration borders on xenophobia. "The truth is, we reside in a society where we are immersed in hatred and political distortion on the issue of immigration, which has gradually infected our collective subconsciousness." ( Davis 2011)