Introduction
Accurate measurements require tools of precision. The more precise the tool, the more distinctions we could make in our attempts to produce knowledge. The study of American history is no exception. For many decades, a blunt toolset had informed our analysis of migration and identity whereupon historians adopted a bi-polar model of analysis – one that assumed that migrants either identified with a mother country or assimilated into an Anglo-Saxon American identity. This bi-polar model of analysis is poor indeed. Making use of historian George Sánchez’s Becoming Mexican American, I argue that his concept of a “betwixt and between” identity offers a sharper tool for analysis – one that recognizes a creative construction of identity that exists “suspended between two cultures” (Sánchez, 272).
Background Information
Immigration remains a common practice that makes it possible for people to leave their countries in order to get new opportunities and achieve their aims. Past theories and models have tried to support the concept of bipolar cultural opposites by describing how immigrants tend to identify themselves with their backgrounds or assimilate to become like Americans. This notion is informed by the power of essentialist definitions of different terms, including culture, race, nationalism, and ethnicity. These concepts encourage people to maintain their identities and consider the most appropriate initiatives to develop acceptable values.
However, this bipolar model has received criticism due to its inability to consider the realities and changes that occur when foreigners settle in a new country. While their skin colors and diversity remain constant, such individuals will begin to learn additional ideas, norms, and practices that eventually encourage them to pursue new ways of life (Sánchez 37). The prolonged stay in the new society becomes a new opportunity to develop new philosophies that can make it possible for them to achieve their potential. They also accept the realities and social trends recorded in their respective communities.
Since human beings are social in nature, it is undeniable that they will try to borrow specific practices, behaviors, and procedures that appear relevant while at the same time ignoring various malpractices that do not resonate with their cultural expectations. They will go further to embrace some of the food materials, attires, and artistic styles associated with the other cultures in this country (Sánchez 52). This new trend or wave of assimilation emerges that historians and sociologists should learn to take seriously. This kind of acceptance will present new opportunities for understanding race relations and identities that have emerged due to the process of immigration.
Analysis of the “Betwixt and Between”
The descriptions George Sánchez presents in his work are acceptable and informative since they pinpoint the weaknesses of the “bipolar cultural opposites” model. It is agreeable that such a framework tends to argue that individuals who move from country A to B will either assume new identities or decide to maintain their original ones. The message this concept presents is that the people will make their decisions in an attempt to succeed in their lives (Sánchez 24). However, this historian believes that the traditional framework is erroneous and ignores the trends that have been recorded in this country for many years (Sánchez 29). This kind of knowledge is what empowered or guided him to develop the “betwixt and between” identity or model.
People’s experiences, opportunities, and views will always change continuously. Those who get a new chance to live in a foreign country will acquire additional ideas and concepts that inform their goals. Such immigrants will eventually be forced to develop new identities that might not reflect those of the Americans or their original racial values (Sánchez 54). This process is fluid and continuously changing since such individuals will consider specific norms, eating habits, and dress codes that appear appealing to them. Such a development is what forms the basis of this new model of identity.
This scholar uses the example of the Mexican Americans to explain why the betwixt and between identity should remain acceptable. According to him, America has witnessed the emergence of a new racial group that cannot be termed as Anglo-Saxon or Mexican (Sánchez 28). This is a clear indication that some immigrants will develop a new identity that appears to merge the acquired and original values, thereby resulting in an original culture that never existed before. Such an argument makes the “bipolar cultural opposites” an inadequate model for describing the fate of many immigrants in the United States. Those who want to learn more and understand the experiences of the majority of the people should, therefore, be willing to consider this new model.
With America being one of the most diverse societies in the world, it becomes possible for individuals to learn and acquire new ways of pursuing their aims from their neighbors, friends, and even acquaintances. Some might be willing to abandon their essentialist definitions of culture and acquire additional behaviors that resonate with their expectations in life. This kind of development explains why the portrayal of the Mexican culture in America as something traditional and static remains wrong (Sánchez 25).
Instead, the author agrees that members of this racial group are constantly acquiring additional practices and ways of life that are neither purely American nor Mexican. This scenario presents a form of transition that widens the level of diversity. In order to support this theory, Sánchez argues that there is an outstanding difference between Mexican Americans living in different cities and those in rural regions (29). Some have been willing to follow personal choices and decisions that do not resonate with those of their original culture.
The original framework for viewing racial groups as static can be treated as a stereotype that fails to accept the fluidity and changing nature of ethnic groups in this country. This is a reality since more foreigners find additional reasons or sources of inspiration that eventually change their ways of life. For instance, many Mexican Americans have developed new dress codes and entrepreneurial activities that can make them more successful and comfortable.
They have transformed most of their behaviors without necessarily getting rid of their traditional norms (Sánchez 37). They have continued to pursue American education, movies, and religious beliefs. Each group living in a specific region will assimilate differently without necessarily having to follow strict guidelines. These attributes describe the nature of this new model and why people should begin to accept it.
Conclusion
The above discussion has explained how the United States presents new opportunities for more individuals to develop unique identities that might not be viewed as original or foreign. Such a process remains unstoppable since all immigrants realize that they are living in constantly changing societies and environments. These attributes or descriptions explore the nature of the above identity popularized by George Sánchez. When scholars and historians accept such a model, chances are high that meaningful results and findings will emerge that will give a true reflection of race relations and goals in American society. More people will also accept the idea that there are no static cultural groups due to the level of diversity recorded in this country.
Work Cited
Sánchez, George J. Becoming Mexican American: Ethnicity, Culture, and Identity in Chicano Los Angeles, 1900-1945. Oxford University Press, 1993.