The Stagnation of Immigrant Culture: When Traditions Fail to Keep Pace with the Homeland

This post stems from conversations with a few people about immigrant culture over time. It's sort of a discussion of time travel and cultural archaeology. The discussion is how immigrant culture is basically frozen in time when they arrived in their new country. This is way out of my expertise, but as I read more, I found it more and more interesting.

In order to make this a more concrete concept, I'll focus on my family and history. My maternal side is from Sicily and Italy. My paternal is Germany. Sicily is called out separate because it's culture is mostly distinct from Italy. My grandmother always made the distinction, so it sticks. The Italian traditions, beliefs, and attitudes are very much from when they left the country.

There's a huge difference in maternal vs paternal lineage in my case. My maternal side left in the early 1900s. My paternal side left in the 1650s to what was then, a UK colony. My paternal side is very much American, in fact so much given that literally every generation since arriving has joined and fought in the military--first for the UK, then the US from the Revolutionary War and since. After so many generations, the German attitudes, traditions, and beliefs seem subsume to American. 

In talking to recent immigrants from various countries, they find (homeland)-Americans are odd compared to natives from the homeland. For example, current Italians find many curiosities in Italian-American culture. I'm not going to detail them, because that alone can spawn another discussion. It's odd, because it reminds me of impressions from when I was in Asia. Meeting American-Asians was like meeting a person who sort of time-traveled from the 1950s. It felt like talking to my grandparents in some ways, but clearly an asian version of them. I can't accurately put it into words.

I used an LLM to summarize all of the papers and readings. The overall tone is fairly negative, but so are the source papers. Here's the verbatim output from the summary. 

When immigrants arrive in a new country, they bring with them a rich tapestry of cultural traditions, values, and practices from their homeland. These cultural elements serve as a vital lifeline, providing a sense of identity, community, and continuity for immigrant families as they navigate the challenges of building a new life in an unfamiliar place.

However, an interesting phenomenon can occur over time - while the culture in the origin country continues to evolve and change with the times, the immigrant culture can remain relatively static and stagnant. Cut off from the day-to-day developments happening back home, immigrant communities often cling tightly to the traditions and customs they arrived with, even as those same traditions are being reshaped or discarded in the origin country itself.

For example, gender roles and family dynamics among immigrants may reflect outdated patriarchal structures that have advanced in the homeland due to women's rights movements and shifting societal values[2]. Religious practices can also remain frozen in time, not incorporating the reforms and modernizations taking place in the origin country[2][7]. Even things like music, fashion, cuisine, and language can stagnate, not keeping pace with contemporary trends evolving back home.

There are a few key reasons this cultural stagnation tends to occur:

1. Isolation from the origin country and its cultural evolution: Immigrants, especially those who arrived decades ago, can become increasingly disconnected from the cultural changes happening in their homeland[4][8]. Without regular exposure to new ideas, trends, and societal shifts, their cultural frame of reference remains rooted in the past.

2. Desire to preserve cultural identity in a foreign land: Faced with the pressures of assimilation and the fear of losing their heritage, immigrant communities often double down on preserving traditional culture[3][6][9]. Clinging to familiar customs can provide a sense of comfort and belonging in a new and sometimes hostile environment.

3. Lack of exposure to new immigrants bringing current cultural knowledge: As time passes, the influx of new immigrants from the origin country may slow down or change in composition. Without a steady stream of newcomers bringing fresh cultural perspectives, the immigrant community's understanding of contemporary culture back home can become outdated[1][5].

4. Motivation to pass on traditional culture to younger generations born in the new country: First-generation immigrants often feel a strong responsibility to transmit their cultural heritage to their children and grandchildren born in the adopted country[11][17]. However, without a balanced understanding of how the culture has evolved, they may inadvertently pass on traditions that have become obsolete or irrelevant in the modern origin country.

While cultural preservation is undoubtedly important, the failure to evolve can create a growing disconnect between immigrant communities and their counterparts in the origin country. Outdated traditions around things like gender roles, religious doctrine, and social norms can lead to clashes between older immigrant generations and their more assimilated, contemporary-minded children[5][17].

This cultural dissonance can be particularly acute for second-generation immigrants, who often find themselves caught between the traditional expectations of their immigrant parents and the modern realities of their peers in the adopted country[15]. Navigating this complex landscape of competing cultural influences can be a significant source of stress and identity conflict.

So what's the solution? Immigrant communities must strive to balance the preservation of core cultural elements with an openness to change and evolution, just as the origin culture itself is doing. Maintaining connections and awareness of developments back home is key[7][14]. Community leaders can play a vital role in guiding this balance, thoughtfully introducing updates to cultural practices while still honoring cherished traditions[11][15].

Ultimately, culture is not a fixed monolith, but an ever-evolving reflection of a people in a certain time and place. For immigrants, holding too tightly to a culture that no longer exists back home benefits no one. With conscious effort and open dialogue, immigrant communities can carry forward the most meaningful aspects of their heritage while still keeping pace with the dynamic changes unfolding in their homelands.

By striking this delicate balance, immigrant cultures can remain vibrant, relevant, and connected to their roots, while also embracing the growth and evolution that is essential to the human experience, no matter where in the world we find ourselves.

Citations:
[1] https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/104c8de955723f29edb1442793a172e2e6cf813b
[2] https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/71b9c2c54582dae5c3a6ad9cae470c0af9c72ad5
[3] https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/6911ae15c027cafaa33a67dd3d12b135d4c95c40
[4] https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/500f3a285d8d2cc57f035d806ca2f30248e7eeae
[5] https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/0529ab94528ae2dc404f0458af488734c9bb1176
[6] https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/a303a64e60e2c036715cfac2b1328bbde499f5fb
[7] https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/71358c38bb5a534f6ea4e5968c4f75ff533455d1
[8] https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/a0db7a32c0e07c290bc0e2583265abe8655e6218
[9] https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/8c2dcf71130b073f414bbc0a02e8c01954e4c920
[10] https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/98008f69c38e1d4e8e53e5e5123cf5521a75237d
[11] https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/d579c6ff12c89be5e818334fe39c92269cddf8ec
[12] https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/f9c8751e741ad33a52ee01b18fc5b862be0f1219
[13] https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/b094ecd579165f3f675774c666bc51816a738c82
[14] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35938934/
[15] https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/a82835bdf8c25c5f0c81f596237c04f74a252a69
[16] https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/071b23ad240f4873a78b1d5ed72c9e8697b51553
[17] https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/e56853e62f0744c574bf4bd77ca7165bc705a68b
[18] https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/6136c448d4f882eb4bc62b26447e44c86ce95674
[19] https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/ae954f800c285082adef05dac6edc16d987fbd86
[20] https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/674e20b19b53c7d6867ed2a6704cb3df3fec6f82