Segmented assimilation and minority cultures of mobility

TLDR

Recent work on second‑generation immigrants suggests that racial discrimination and economic restructuring create different assimilation paths for recent non‑white immigrants compared to earlier European immigrants, potentially decoupling acculturation from economic mobility, yet middle‑class minorities have been largely ignored. This article considers how the experiences of middle‑class minorities might alter our models of second‑generation incorporation. The authors propose a minority culture of mobility—a set of cultural elements that address problems of interracial encounters and intra‑minority class relations common to minority middle classes. A brief case study of the African‑American middle class illustrates this minority culture of mobility and its implications for immigrants.

Abstract

Recent work on second-generation immigrants posits that racial discrimination and a restructuring economy are likely to create different paths of assimilation for recent non-white immigrants than earlier European immigrants followed, and may even decouple acculturation and economic mobility. But while these discussions have considered the minority lower class as a possible destination for assimilation, middle-class minorities have been largely ignored. This article considers how the experiences of middle-class minorities might alter our models of second-generation incorporation. We propose that the minority middle classes share a minority culture of mobility, a set of cultural elements responsive to distinctive problems that usually accompany minority middle-class status, including problems of interracial encounters in public settings and inter-class relations within the minority community. We illustrate this minority culture of mobility with a brief case study of the African-American middle class, and discuss its implications for immigrants.