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Unity Through Diversity? Assimilation, Multiculturalism and the Debate Over What It Means to Be an American

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Unity Through Diversity? Assimilation, Multiculturalism and the Debate Over What It Means to Be an American UNITY THROUGH DIVERSITY? ASSIMILA TION, MULTICULTURALISM AND THE DEBATE OVER WHAT IT MEANS TO BE AN AMERICAN Douglas F. George, B.S., M.S. Dissertation Prepared for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS December 2005 APPROVED: George Yancey, Major Professor Philip Yang, Minor Professor David Williamson, Committee Member and Chair of the Department of Sociology Nicole Dash, Committee Member Doug Henry, Committee Member David W. Hartman, Dean of the College of Public Affairs and Community Service Sandra L. Terrell, Dean of the Robert B. Toulouse School of Graduate Studies George, Douglas F. Unity through diversity? Assimilation, multiculturalism and the debate over what it means to be an American. Doctor of Philosophy (Sociology), December 2005, 162 pp., 8 tables, references, 139 titles. In late 20th century America, multiculturalism emerged as a doctrine of equal respect and a popular ideological framework for resolving intergroup relations. Despite its dramatic presence, many sociologists conclude that the rather vigorous and often contentious academic inquiries into multiculturalism left us without a solid understanding of its significance. In this dissertation I examine survey and personal interview data to more clearly identify patterns of ideological support for multiculturalism or assimilation in the U.S. public and to isolate the motivations for their preferences. Findings based on the survey data indicate that, despite multiculturalism's symbol appeal, it does not seem to guide preferences in favor of or opposition to assimilation/multiculturalism among members of most groups. According to the quantitative data, support for intermarriage is one of the few variables that positively correlates with preferences for assimilation. The interview data indicate a strong tendency among many participants to conflate the meaning of multiculturalism and assimilation. Despite their stated aspirations, many self- identified multiculturalists do not favor cultural pluralism. Apparently a significant number of the interview participants use a synthesis of multiculturalism and assimilation to frame their preferences for social convergence within an assimilationist paradigm – a perspective that only marginally resembles multiculturalism's doctrine of equal respect. Contrary to the extant literature, patterns of support for multiculturalism among the interview participants indicate racial and ethnic cleavages and these patterns correspond to the U.S. social hierarchy. Because racial and ethnic meanings infused the multiculturalism debate with its energy, it is plausible that the subtleties of racial discourse mask common aspirations among racial and ethnic group members. In the last chapter, I employ Alba and Nee's recent theoretical reformulation of the concept of assimilation to explicate the findings of this dissertation. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS In October 1983, referring to a five-member commission he recently appointed, James Watt, Ronald Reagan's secretary of the interior and author of the book The Courage of a Conservative, declared, "We have every kind of mix you can have. I have a black, I have a woman, two Jews, and a cripple." This insensitive comment precipitated a hostile public reaction and soon after, Watt's resignation. While Watt's remark was obviously a sarcastic jab at affirmative action, for me the fact that laissez-faire conservatives like Watt were even jokingly acquiescing to the call for increased racial/ethnic incorporation signified a shift in the debate over assimilation. While I didn't know it then, thanks to the hapless James Watt, I had a dissertation topic and all I needed now was a few dozen courses, a couple of thousand hours of work, support from lots of family and friends (hello, a great wife like Les is a must), and help from some real sociologists. I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the people that kept pointing me toward the light at the end of my Ph.D. tunnel. First I would like to thank all my UNT and TWU professors for sharing with me their time and amazing sociological talents. A special thanks goes to the members of my committee and the graduate adviser Rudy Seward. George Yancey, a damn good dissertation adviser, is the cornerstone of this project and key to any meaningful scholarship therein. I also thank those less directly involved but still instrumental to my earning the Ph.D., including Fonda Gaynier, Jackie Stanczyk and others at the SCS computer lab. I extend my gratitude to the LSAF research team (especially Michael Emerson and Karen Chai) for collecting the data and the Lily Foundation for funding the LSAF project. For many years I've dreamed of becoming a bona fide sociologist and to all that contributed, I owe you! ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS........................................................................................................ ii LIST OF TABLES ..................................................................................................................... v Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................... 1 The Study of U.S. Racial and Ethnic Convergence in the 20th Century Statement of the Problem Theorizing Patterns of Intergroup Relations The U.S. Deliberation of Multiculturalism Situating U.S. Attitudes on the Multiculturalism Debate Significance of the Study Summary of Chapters Discussion 2. LITERATURE REVIEW.......................................................................................... 20 Introduction: Century Long Deliberation on U.S. Racial and Ethnic Convergence Theorizing Assimilation, the Melting Pot, and Cultural Pluralism Multiculturalism: The Conceptualization and Rise of a Social Doctrine Attitudes on Multiculturalism in the U.S. Public Discussion 3. THEORY AND HYPOTHESES FOR THE ANALYSIS .......................................... 40 Introduction: Historical and Contemporary Definitions of Assimilation and Pluralism Hypotheses for the Empirical Analysis Guiding Hypotheses for the Qualitative Data Analysis Discussion 4. DATA AND METHOD ............................................................................................ 53 Introduction: Attitudinal Research on Multiculturalism and Assimilation Quantitative Data and Methods Qualitative Data and Methods Discussion 5. EMPIRICAL DATA ANALYSIS ............................................................................. 65 iii Introduction: U.S. Attitudes on Multiculturalism Research Literature on Intermarriage Overview of the Hypotheses An Analysis of the LSAF Survey Data Discussion 6. ANALYSIS OF THE LILLY SURVEY OF ATTITUDES AND FRIENDSHIPS (LSAF) PERSONAL INTERVIEWS ................................................................ 80 Introduction: The Rise of Multiculturalism The Interviews: A Combination of Both and a Typology of Interview Themes Trends in the LSAF Interviews Racial Cleavages in the LSAF Deliberation on Social Convergence Discussion and Conclusions 7. THEORIZING MULTICULTURALISM................................................................ 118 Introduction: Drawing the Line of the American Circle Alba and Nee: Rethinking Assimilation Alba and Nee on Multiculturalism Reclaiming Alba and Nee's Theory for the Analysis of the LSAF Data Application of Alba and Nee's Theory of Assimilation to the Data Analysis ENDNOTES........................................................................................................................... 145 APPENDIX: LSAF PERSONAL INTERVIEW QUESTIONS............................................... 151 REFERENCES....................................................................................................................... 153 iv LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Social and Demographic Characteristics of the LSAF Sample and the U. S. Population, 2000 ...................................................................................................... 63 Table 2. Dependent and Explanatory Variables, LSAF, 2000 ................................................. 70 Table 3. Logistic Regression Estimates for Determinants of Attitudes on the Creation of a Common Culture and Multiculturalism in the U.S., LSAF, 2000 .............................. 73 Table 4. The LSAF Interview Participant’s Choice Between: the Creation of a Common Culture, Maintenance of Cultural Uniqueness, or a Combination of Both ................. 82 Table 5. The LSAF Interview Participant’s Choice Between: the Creation of a Common Culture, the Maintenance of Cultural Uniqueness, or a Combination of Both by Social and Demographic Variables...................................................................................... 83 Table 6. Themes in the LSAF Interview Participant’s Elaboration on the Multiculturalism Question Situated Within Ideological Categories of Intergroup Convergence ........... 86 Table 7. The LSAF Interview Participants' Ideological Perspective on Intergroup Convergence by Their Initial Response to the Multiculturalism Question ...................................... 89 Table 8. Themes in the LSAF Interview Participant's Deliberation on the Multicultural Question Situated Within Ideologies of Intergroup Convergence and Grouped by Race and Ethnicity .......................................................................................................... 103 v CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION The Study of U.S. Racial and Ethnic Convergence in the 20th Century Throughout the history of the United States, nation building through immigration
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