Immigration and Assimilation

The immigrant experience is extremely multifaced, with every experience impacted by many factors, including each individual’s country and culture of origin, reason for immigrating, and previous socioeconomic status. But while there are a plethora of differences, all immigrants face similar challenges when it comes to assimilating into their adopted country: finding a place to live, finding a job, creating a sense of belonging and community, and dealing with prejudice and/or incorrect perceptions about their home country or culture. After immediate struggles are confronted, the children and grandchildren of immigrants all must confront different levels of new and old cultural connection and disconnection, often introducing generational conflicts that non-immigrant families usually don’t encounter.