Cesar Jose Granados / EAP3 / Spring 2014 / System C / Final Version

Should host countries protect their own culture from the influence of
immigrants?

Immigration has shown a strong rate of growth over the past few years. Countries such as
the United States and Canada have historically attracted a greater share of immigrants. This
might be due to the hope of having a better quality of life or pursuing the American Dream.
However, these populations movements have further influenced the culture of the host
countries. This situation has led to changes in the identity among natives with consequences that
go far beyond the economic and social structures. For this reason, and for the sake of their own
identity, it is important for the countries which have a lot of immigrants to protect themselves
from the influence these newcomers might have.
Advocates of the cultural mix believe that constant migration flows help enrich and
strengthen a society. There is some validity to this point, but it is necessary to acknowledge that
certain First Nation communities have been displaced, or as in the case of Canada, children have
been separated from their families, and forced to receive education in order to assimilate them
into the dominant alien culture. Shari Narine (2009) reported that not only were Natives
systematically stripped of their culture, their language and their religion, but many children were
physically and sexually abused (p. 8). This event in contemporary history demonstrates how a
strong foreign culture can have a negative impact on native communities, which does not benefit
the existing identity of the host country.
Another commonly heard assertion is that immigration contributes to the host societys
dynamism and progress through a policy of social cohesion. This is legitimate to some extent,
but it fails to consider that a wave of immigration without specific rules can generate a
Cesar Jose Granados / EAP3 / Spring 2014 / System C / Final Version
phenomenon of transculturation in the host society. In that respect, Lull (2000) describes
transculturation as a process whereby cultural forms literally move through time and space
where they interact with other cultural forms and settings, inuence each other, produce new
forms, and change the cultural settings (as cited in Rogers, 2006, p. 491). Also, it is important to
consider that, in the process of cultural adaptation, Lotman (1990) and Chan (2002) stated that
the original culture is cleansed, essentialised and transformed (as cited in Xu & Tian, 2013, p.
191). Hence, the true traditions are likely to disappear due to cultural deformations and
reformulations, in order to give way to new customs with an increasing decline of principles and
values underlying the original national identity.
Finally, another argument frequently expressed by those in favour of a cultural
integration is that this can be deeply rewarding for both societies. This sounds reasonable, but it
fails to acknowledge recent research where in some societies, nationals have lost credibility
among their peers. Regarding this issue, a study carried out by Rder and Mhlau (2012)
concluded that:
First-generation immigrants are found to have higher levels of trust in host-
country institutions compared to natives, whereas this is not the case for second
generation, who are in fact significantly less confident than both the first
generation and native-born citizens. (p. 789)
Due to this lack of identification between nationals, it is crucial to acknowledge that it is feasible
for a foreign culture to dominate the political sphere of a nation, and make it vulnerable to
decisions made by people who may not have a full identification with the host nation. This is an
unacceptable situation for the sovereignty of any nation.
Cesar Jose Granados / EAP3 / Spring 2014 / System C / Final Version
As previously mentioned, the uncontrolled influence of immigrants could lead to a
number of societal implications, particularly in the cultural sphere. Key implications include the
displacement which certain First Nations communities have been undergoing in the last decades,
the threatening consequences for the original culture as a product of transculturation, and the loss
of leaders' credibility among nationals due to the growing expectations placed on non-nationals.
To conclude, further emphasis is required through concrete measures in order to preserve the true
identity and the cultural heritage of host countries facing the imminent arrival of more and more
newcomers.

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Cesar Jose Granados / EAP3 / Spring 2014 / System C / Final Version
References

Narine, S. (2009). Reconciliation comes after understanding and acknowledgement. Windspeaker,
27(4), 8.
Rder, A. & Mhlau, P. (2012). Low expectations or different evaluations: What explains
immigrants high levels of trust in host-country institutions?. Journal of Ethnic and
Migration Studies, 38(5), 777-792. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/1369183X.2012.667986
Rogers, R. A. (2006). From cultural exchange to transculturation: A review and reconceptualization
of cultural appropriation. Communication Theory, 16(4), 474-503. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/
j.1468-2885.2006.00277.x
Xu, M. & Tian, C. (2013). Cultural deformations and reformulations: A case study of Disneys
Mulan in English and Chinese. Critical Arts: South-North Cultural and Media Studies. 27(2),
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