The cultural consequences of migration ranging from the exchange of ideas and knowledge to possible clashes between the local population and the newcomers, often with different customs or religions.
In any case, these consequences vary if viewed from one field or the other: from the countries of origin or from the countries of destination.
We call migration to those movements populations between different countries or even within areas of the same nation.
They are usually produced for economic or security reasons, as when certain people have to flee for political or social persecution.
Five major cultural consequences of migration
1- Opening to new ideas
Migrants often carry part of their culture, their way of living and their traditions.
Its establishment in a new country brings with it that part of that baggage is assimilated between the premises: from the gastronomy to the festivals. This helps to end the scourge of racism, often provoked by the fear of the unknown.
On the other hand, the immigrants themselves, when they return to their countries of origin, even temporarily, carry part of the ideas learned in their new place of residence, enriching their culture.
2- Rejection of new ideas
Some inhabitants of migrants' places of destination absorb certain aspects of the culture from which they arrive, but there are also other sectors that reject any kind of mixture or, according to them, contamination of their own culture.
However, it is not only the locals that can be completely closed. It is quite common for immigrants themselves to live in restricted circles, in which they share their customs without opening up to the places where they live.
This, in extreme cases, leads to the creation of authentic ghettos.
3- Loss of identity
Although it seems contradictory with the previous points, it is relatively frequent that the migrants stay in no man's land.
For the locals, they remain foreigners, regardless of the degree of integration they demonstrate. But for their compatriots, they also become a foreign body when they return, having assimilated certain customs from outside.
There is one extreme of this situation: those immigrants who totally lose their cultural identity, either because they think it will be easier to adapt or to be convinced. In the United States it was frequent at a time when many Latin American migrants stopped speaking Spanish.
4- Cultural issues for diversity
Sometimes the cultural differences are very high and, therefore, it is much more difficult to reach a peaceful coexistence.
In this respect it may be pointed out that religion often becomes the most difficult point to reconcile. This ends up causing both communities to close in on themselves, creating a very large social problem.
On the other hand, aspects like the treatment to the woman, the sexual freedom or difference of creed, also can create problems when there is a great chasm between how they live in each cultural reality.
It can be said that every migrant has a right to their cultural identity, but that the laws of the country in which they live are always above.
5- Cultural exchange
There is no doubt that, throughout history, there are innumerable examples of how migrants have influenced the cultural, artistic and linguistic identities of their places of welcome.
Musical mixes that create new genres, dances that jump the ocean or foods that become typical over time. For example, today nobody imagines New York without Italian pizzas or Chinese restaurants.
This exchange is even noticeable in language, since new words are added to the normal speech of the street, an exchange that occurs in both directions.
References
- Globalization 101. Cultural Effects of Migration. Obtained from globalization101.org
- Bowles, Samuel. Endogenous Preferences: The Cultural Consequences of Markets and
other Economic Institutions. (March 1998). Retrieved from web.unitn.it - Dinesh Bhugra. Migration, cultural bereavement and cultural identity. (2005) Retrieved from ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Lefringhauser, Katharina. Why immigration is good for culture. (August 24, 1016). Retrieved from newsweek.com
- Rodríguez Herrera, America. International Migration, its impact on the culture of the peasant sectors. Obtained from ca2020.fiu.edu