The Assimilation Myth

This book is a logical consequence of a book published in 1965 under the title Immigrants Assimilation - A Study of Polish People in Western Australia. In the original study, adult Polish immigrants were asked, amongst other things, about their attitudes to their children's assimilation to the culture of the Australian society. Needless to say, some parents were eager for their children to remain Polish, whilst others express­ ed a desire for them to become Australians. Naturally, it seem­ ed practical to investigate the children's attitudes to their own assimilation. The present study is therefore mainly concerned with these attitudes. Much has been written about second generation immigrants and a lot has been of a speculative nature, since nobody has yet gone into the homes of immigrants and asked them and their children about the way they feel regarding a culture which is new to them. The present study is unique in this sense because it fills a vital gap by studying assimilation of two generations of immigrants belonging to the same family. Second generation immigrants have occupied the attention of many writers in the sociological and psychological litera­ ture. Vital social phenomena such as delinquency, mental breakdowns, and marginality have been ascribed to the second generation immigrants on account of their status as midway people between two cultural milieus. Some of these phenome­ It is generally accepted that na are traced in the present study.