The American Culture: Religious and Cultural Identity - Essay Example

2 December The Truce between My Ethni and American Acculturation Before I came to this country, I was resolved to preserve my religious and cultural identity, as well as manage to learn how to be American enough, so that other Americans can “understand” me. I went to the United States as an international student, which I know makes my experience significantly different from those who came to this country as immigrants. As immigrants, they had to either acculturate to some extent or fully assimilate, which will benefit them and their host country. Dominant cultures, however, often expect complete assimilation, particularly when there are underlying xenophobic attitudes, or fear of the “different” or the “other,” or when the dominant lens is that immigrants can only be successful in the U.S. if they are Americanized. I cannot imagine being completely American and being subtly or openly forced to be one at that. The only way that I can be an American is to establish a truce between my ethnicity and American language and conduct, where my ethnicity is the dominant culture. I am grateful that I can preserve my ethnic identity, although on American soil, it is also inevitable to be an American in some ways, so that I can gain social acceptance and be “understood.” My family maintains a strong religious and ethnic identity, though we also acculturated some Western tastes. I can trace my ethnic roots to my very first grandparents in Saudi Arabia, because my family has dutifully documented our ethnic history. We have a family tree that has clear origins and branches which continue to expand. Furthermore, my Arabic, Muslim family is strongly traditional and we have preserved our language, traditions, customs, and holidays. Many of us already dress as Westerners, although we also continue dressing in traditional attires for family events and some holidays. As Muslims, we strictly follow religious values, beliefs, and practices. As Arabs, we also observe traditional customs and holidays and use our vernacular at home and when we are together. We only use English when speaking with people who communicate in English only. In Saudi Arabia, we frequently eat together and have other relatives visit and dine with us. We also eat traditional food, though sometimes, when we go out, we dine in American restaurants. We prefer our traditional food, however, especially because we enjoy the preparation, dining, and conversations that go with our local food. We also watch Arab movies and TV shows, listen to Arab music, and read Arab books, newspapers, and magazines. Nonetheless, we also watch Hollywood movies and TV shows and read English books, newspapers, and magazines. Some of us enjoy listening to American music too. I can say that we remain Arab and Muslim in identity, though we appreciate and learn also from American media and discourse. Since I am an international student, I believe that I am partially acculturated and not assimilated into the American culture. Assimilation means “moving away” from ones traditional culture (Bagby 474) and that definitely did not happen to me or my family who have been in the United States. Furthermore, my family did not have to face the dilemma of acculturation versus assimilation, since they still live in the Middle East. There was no pressure to “be American.” In the Middle East, though there are many Westerners here already, our family see no need to be Americanized. Instead, we have become more consistent in preserving our identities, because as we relate with other cultures, we realize how proud we are of our ethnic roots. Nevertheless, my father did experience some form of acculturation in his brief visit to the United States in 1996. He had to go there to visit some of our relatives and to explore some potential business ventures. Although my father could speak English that time, he could not do it fluently. He had to rely on American relatives to communicate for him. He learned more conversational English, nevertheless, because he knew it was important in expressing himself to others. Furthermore, he noticed that his traditional attire captured too much attention, so he dressed like an American. To understand whether he acculturated or not, I would like to draw on Gordons 1964 seminal work, Assimilation in American Life, where he differentiated two stages of assimilation: acculturation, where immigrants adopt the values and cultural practices of the dominant culture, and structural assimilation, where the immigrants become members and participants of the dominant cultures social network and institutions (70 cited in Bagby 474). Acculturation, also called “cultural assimilation,” has two parts: “intrinsic and extrinsic cultural traits” (Bagby 474) Intrinsic traits pertain to “religious beliefs and practices, essential ethnic values, a historical language and a sense of a common past” (Bagby 474) Extrinsic traits pertain to “dress, manner, English usage, etc.” (Bagby 474). In my fathers experience, he acculturated the dress and to some extent, the English language. He also partially assimilated into the American structure by participating in its economic activities. He did not, however, assimilate Protestant values and beliefs, which was the dominant religion at that time. I can say that the same happened to me more than a decade later after my fathers acculturated experience. I also acculturated to some level only, by adopting American dress, language, and some manners of acting. Unlike some of Correias parents and relatives who “never really learned to speak the English language” (Correia 15), I tried my best to learn the English language. At the same time, I can say that I share Correias great grandfathers experience, who assimilated into the American social structure. Her great grandfather was a Portuguese immigrant who easily learned the English language when he arrived in America. When I came to the U.S., I was ready to leave my “culture comfort zone of same-race friendships and participate in interpersonal challenges” (Antonio cited in Shammas 286). I studied and learned the English language, so that I can communicate with others more effectively. I also wanted to make friends also with the Americans and not stay only with same-ethnic and same-religion friends. But while being friends with the dominant white race, I made sure that I preserved my ethnic identity. I may speak and dress like “them,” but it does not mean that I want to be like them in every sense of the word. I did not aim to “be an American.” I wanted to remain Arab and Muslim. In the U.S., I saw many immigrants who wanted to be American. Being an American means acting, feeling, speaking, and thinking like an American. This makes sense, because ethnicity affects ones identity. For instance, some Middle Eastern students, who were already Christianized, have shed their Middle Eastern accent and conduct. They are no longer Arabs in my eyes, as they openly flirt in campus, men and women alike, and dress in liberal ways. When I listen to them, they also talk about the same books, TV shows, movies, and music that Americans also talk about. They also share the same liberal political and economic views as Americans. Thus, they are Americanized. In college, my interactions with the American society made me appreciate their culture and my traditional culture. The American culture influenced me to be less reserved about my ideas and opinions and to be open to competition with my peers. The American culture also affected what I eat and how I eat. I used to eat traditional dishes only and some American food, such as pizza, but now, because of lack of time to prepare my food, I eat more American food and even eat while walking. This attitude of always-on-the-go and not enjoying meals with the company of my family and friends is a drastic transition for me. But I learned to acculturate these external traits, because of the hectic schedule I have in school. Though I have adopted new customs, I am still a traditional Muslim. I say my prayers and go to the mosque. I also do no eat pork, no matter how hungry I am and that is the only accessible food. I do not engage in speech and behavior that will also compromise Islam and my familys reputation. I believe that I share Correias experience, where “patterns” of ethnicity “persisted” instead of being forgotten (Dublin 12). I thought it would be easy to stay ethnic, in Dublins language, but I was disappointed to find it difficult. When there is a dominant culture and I am not a part of it, clashes of values and behaviors exist. I know my friends and family respect and cherish me for remaining true to my roots, but sometimes, I feel angry when others disrespect my ethnicity, as if being who I am does not have a place in American society. One example is when an American student cajoled me to drink alcohol and I declined. I told him it is against my religion to drink alcohol. He smirked and said: “Oh common man, this is America! You are free here! Bottoms up my friend!” I politely declined, but when I turned my back on him, I felt my face redden. What did he mean by freedom here? Did he implicate that I am not free as a Muslim? I wanted to go back and discuss my religious beliefs with him, but I realized it would be futile. He was already drunk and might not be interested in learning more about Islam. Also, I might not have the right words to convince him that he should respect other peoples beliefs. This is one of the reasons why I wanted to learn the English language well. Language is power. To speak English and be understood is the first step to freedom of speech and association. Hence, if ever there is one element of the American culture that I wanted badly, it was to learn and be fluent in English. In America, I remained ethnic and learned to be American to some extent, in terms of language, dress, and some practices. Nevertheless, I aimed to preserve my religious and ethnic identity, while learning from and respecting the American identity. Though some experiences highlighted that I cannot be accepted as an ethnic, I believe that America continues to embrace racial and religious plurality. It also helped that I am only passing by as an international student, so there was no strong desire for me or pressure to be American. The only pressure I felt was speaking like one, so that I can be heard and understood. Fortunately, I can speak English enough to be understood, because I am proud to tell everyone that I am who I am, a Muslim and Arab in and out. Works Cited Bagby, Ihsan. “The American Mosque in Transition: Assimilation, Acculturation and Isolation.”Journal of Ethnic & Migration Studies 35.3 (Mar.2009): 473-490. Print. Correia, Virginia. “Life after Terceira.” Becoming American, Becoming Ethnic. Ed. Thomas Dublin. Philadelphia: Temple UP, 1996. 15-19. Print. Dublin, Thomas. Becoming American, Becoming Ethnic. Ed. Philadelphia: Temple UP, 1996. Print. Shammas, Diane S. “Post-9/11 Arab and Muslim American Community College Students: Ethno-religious Enclaves and Perceived Discrimination.” Community College Journal of Research & Practice 33.3/4 (2009): 283-308. Print. 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