Remaking the American Mainstream: Assimilation and Contemporary Immigration

   2003年重塑美国的主流：同化与当代移民。在多元民主的时代，成为美国的主流公认的一部分同化过程的社会观念。展示了同化移民适应融入美国生活的深远意义。越来越多的中国移民数量设法安顿下来，在美国尤其是学习成绩优异和工作在美国的那些移民。会一步步的融入美国，成为主流的组成部分。

  Alba, Richard and Victor Nee. 2003. Remaking the American Mainstream: Assimilation and Contemporary Immigration. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.

   In this era of multicultural democracy, the idea of assimilation—the process of becoming an accepted part of the mainstream of American society—seems outdated because of globalization and diversification. But as Richard Alba and Victor Nee illustrate in the first systematic treatment of assimilation since the mid-1960s in their book, it continues to shape the immigrant experience of Chinese. Changes, ranging from civil rights legislation to immigration law, offered opener atmosphere for immigrants from Asia, Africa and South America, and their children as well. However, assimilation is still driven for Chinese immigrants due to the decisions of immigrants and the second generation to improve their social status and material circumstances in America. But they also show that Chinese immigrants, historically and today, have far-reaching influence to the mainstream society and culture in America. The authors demonstrate the profound significance of assimilation for immigrants adapting into American life. Moreover, they imply that racial boundaries between Chinese immigrants and local Americans will be blurred by this process and that Chinese immigrants will eventually harmonize into the America’s mainstream.
This source is related to my topic because this book supports that the process of assimilation in America is still harsh for Chinese immigrants especially for those who want to enter dominant society and improve their social status, and puts forward prediction that this process will gradually succeed, even though it is a long-run process and is difficult to achieve due to several essential reasons, such as language barriers and resources distribution. As the threshold of migration in America has been slackened for immigrants from all over the world, increasing amount of Chinese immigrants managed to settle down in America, especially those student immigrants who study and work in USA with excellent academic performance. With increasing proportion in American population and participation in all aspects in American life, Chinese immigrants and their following generation will assimilate into the mainstream of USA step by step, and then finally become an important part of the mainstream.
   Xiao-huang Yin, China: People’s Republic of China [A], Waters, Mary C., Reed Ueda, and Helen B. Marrow [Eds]. The new Americans: A guide to immigration since 1965. Harvard University Press, 2009. pp.340-354.
    Based on the latest U.S. Census data and the most recent scholarly research, the author put forward her statement that Chinese immigrants formed bimodal socioeconomic communities represented by different professional levels, distinctive English-language abilities, and variable income level. In addition, she points out that as China is transforming from agricultural country into global manufacturing base in recent years with great success in economy and politics, Chinese Americans have been prompted to observe their mother land in a new light. This trend makes the emergence of transnationalism and circular and reverse migration. With Chinese immigrants who are competent in business world and drastic expansion of U.S.-China economic networks, both America and China benefit from maximizing resources and opportunities and, therefore, American Dreams are gradually achieved.
    I think this article not only provides data and statistics about historical background of Chinese migration to USA and explains the causes of the formation of Chinese bimodal community in America, but also demonstrates a new phenomenon of Chinese migration to USA. That is hundreds of thousands of Chinese Americans return to their home land to work in the various walks of life. The first transformation—permanent settlement—began in 1965 when immigration laws and policies in USA were amended dramatically. Differing from permanent settlement of the whole family in America in the period of early 1965, Chinese circular and reverse migration today seldom involves the entire family, which shows a new trend in the Chinese immigration to the U.S. What is more, because of the emergence of this phenomenon, Chinese Americans have increasing chances to gain prosperity, success and an upward social mobility achieved through hard work (this is the core of American dreams).
    Philip Q. Yang: “Sojourners or Settlers: Post-1965 Chinese Immigrants”, Journal of Asian American Studies, 1999, no.2(1), pp.61-91, The Johns Hopkins             University Press, In this article, the author, Philip Q. Yang, proves his hypothesis that compared with pre-exclusion counterparts (the first three waves of Chinese immigration to USA), Chinese immigrants in post-1965 showed a great tendency for permanent settlement—not just earn money and then go back homeland any more. He proves that this transition of Chinese immigrants from sojourners to settlers by his investigation. Supported by several acts, such as 1965 Immigration and Naturalization Act, increasing number of Chinese dwells in USA and the demographic composition of the Chinese American population, especially the sex ratio, increases the chance of Chinese permanent settlement. The author also verifies three significant factors determining post-1965 Chinese immigrants’ propensity for permanent settlement in America: country-of-origin characteristics, ethnic communities and individual characteristics. 
   First and foremost, here sojourner means person whose mental orientation is towards the home country and who spends a major portion of lifetime striving in America for economic betterment and higher social status, but the full enjoyment and final achievement of objective is to be in his place of origin. Personally I think this analysis about the changing opinion of Chinese immigrants is so important in my research for it demonstrates that Chinese immigrants began to settle down and got better off in America, and made their offspring continue living in USA. To achieve a permanent settlement, they would also urge their children to assimilate into local communities, study hard and get themselves good jobs so as to enter dominant society. At this point, those Chinese immigrants think highly of education for their second generation and ask them to excel other local students, which correspondences to the claim stated by Yang Wesley in the article “Paper tiger” that Chinese American parents put pressure on their children to excel in education because they believe their children’s success in school would in turn, lead to high-income careers. 

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