Immigration and the American City
Please post comments below for lectures 19, 21 and 24. We will extend this lecture assignment to an extra few days as it often contains some of the most interesting, timely, and diverse doscussions of the semester. These lectures focus on the effects immigration has had in shaping and reshaping our american cities. Use your weekend to talk with your friends and family as a means of extending the lecture beyond itself and engage with your own histories and experiences moving to, from and around cities (or staying in one place and being a part of its developing character).
Post your responses for Monday evening and then take take Tuesday to review and ask questions to your classmates. Wednesday will be devoted to answering previous questions and repeat continuing new discussion repeating through the week Thursday and Friday.
image from Metro Trends article:
Recently posted on the Philadelphia Inquirer's website Philly.com Life Behind the Lobby tells the extended story of the Indian-American immigrant experience through the focused lens a subset of immigrants that own and operate hotels - a more modern immigrant experience, one beyond the images of ships pulling into Ellis Island that often gets conjured up when talking about immigration and America. Two different new's organizations have also reported on this book (check it out for your own edification)
Optional/post as separate additional post: How has the immigrant experience affected the city around you? Or a family member? Or a section of the city you have a relationship with?
Initial Comments are due Monday April 11th
Stay tuned over for an extra credit lecture and response posting (good to make up at least one missed lecture). If you have missed a previous lecture this is an excellent way to make good on it!
26 comments:
Woojae H.
Responding to Lecture 19, 21, 24
In my opinion, ethnic solidarity has influenced the physical form of Philadelphia in a way that certain ethnic groups tend to gather together to form their own community. The biggest area created by this, in my opinion is the China town located in the city. Most of the shops, or restaurants around that area are run by Chinese immigrants, and most of people who visit there or work around the area are Chinese immigrants or Chinese American people. There also are many other places where immigrants from other countries formed their communities that are relatively smaller in sizes compared to the China town. In fact, the communities of certain ethnic groups are everywhere regardless of their sizes. In my opinion, people from same ethnic groups who would like to start their business prefer to open their businesses altogether forming a market square. Not only they are able to get more profit from those shops being easier to be found by customers from same ethnic groups, but also customers who visit the market square for a single purpose tend to visit other shops as well resulting in profits for the group as a whole. There are many market squares where there are only shops and restaurants of certain ethnic groups as a result. In addition, though I am not certain, it can be assumed that immigrants from the same countries tend to choose to live closer to any of those communities of their own because there are many conveniences that follow from being closer to those communities. They are able to get groceries from their countries from the groceries stores run by immigrants from their countries, and they are able to find food they miss from those restaurants. The conveniences that immigrants from same countries can find from their communities result the formation of invisible communities to form as well. I suppose that those gatherings have started as small, as there were less immigrants long time ago. However, as time went on, as a result of chain immigration, more people started to immigrate resulting those communities to expand in sizes, and to increase in number. All these gatherings of same ethnic groups called as ethnic solidarity according to the lecture has certainly influenced the physical form of Philadelphia that Philadelphia is divided into smaller communities with same ethnic groups. Also, it is really easy to find market squares where people from same ethnic groups have formed their own communities.
Ethnic solidarity has been helpful to immigrants, providing a community in the new country that still celebrates their culture and supports their progress. At the same time, it works as fuel for xenophobia and cultural tensions. My grandparents experienced the tension and isolation that comes with decades of ethnic solidarity when they would vacation in Atlantic City.
In the 1950's, Atlantic City was a developing beach town that was known as a family vacation destination. My grandmother used to vacation there every summer, and despite the pleasant memories at the beach house, she would still remember the conflicts she ran into when it came to exploring the city. She was forbidden to explore the west side of town, since it was home to the Italian community.
My grandmother is Jewish and her parents immigrated to America from Russia in the 1930s. They were at the tail-end of the Second Wave of immigration, where Southern and Eastern European countries were coming to America. Though Italian immigration also occurred in the Second Wave, a community was established in Atlantic City before a Jewish community arrived. The tension and resulting ethnic solidarity could have come from the breach of limited space and the economic downturn that occurred at the time of the Second Wave.
A beach community puts an emphasis on oceanfront property, and is generally too small for the population. I can assume, then, that the limited space was a point of tension when Jewish immigrants started renting out beach houses in the 1920s and 1930s. Additionally, the Great Depression occurred at the same time that the Second Wave brought large numbers of immigrants to the east coast. As lecture 24 explained, economic recession often leads to xenophobia since jobs are scarce and new immigration is a convenient excuse for the economic downturn. Both factors most likely led to the division of Atlantic City by the 1950s.
My grandmother noted that she and her friends used to sneak to the west end of Atlantic City to try a famous Italian sandwich shop. The Italian side had all of the famous restaurants because the community had been there for decades longer than the Jewish side. It was understood at her house that the Italian side generally viewed the Jewish families as newcomers, invading a space that was formerly owned exclusively by the Italian community. My grandmother was urged to stay home and go to the Jewish delis instead, which is a perfect example of how xenophobia leads to ethnic solidarity. The Jewish side of Atlantic City didn't choose to be united and solitary, it was forced to because of the cultural conflict. Despite the benefits ethnic solidarity provides, it is an extension of xenophobia and only hopes to highlight the differences between the communities.
Joe R said...
Ethnic solidarity has always been a significant part of Philadelphia's social history and its' strong influence over development in society is still prominent today. Ethnic solidarity by definition is when a particular group of people who share a common ethnicity bond together in terms of a common goal therefore separating themselves from society not necessarily purposely. For example, as Woojae stated, the biggest area that represents ethnic solidarity in Philadelphia is China Town. China Town in Philadelphia originated when Chinese immigrants began to consolidate together in one area therefore bonding together to share all their common interests. As more Chinese immigrants moved to Philadelphia, more Chinese people settled in China Town with the same goal in mind and therefore the area grew to what it is today in Center City. Now there is no physical boundary separating China town from the rest of the city but there are definitely significant points of interest such as the gates or other buildings that form an invisible perimeter. This invisible perimeter illustrates that the majority of the people living in that area are Chinese or of Chinese descent. Again like Woojae said, there are many ethnic areas of all different shapes and sizes; however, in terms of Philadelphia, China Town remains to be the most recognizable with somewhat of a physical perimeter compared to the others. In terms of China Town's development not only in Philadelphia but around the country was due to a certain level of xenophobia especially during World War I and II. Due to this, I think it influenced an even stronger form of ethnic solidarity in which many groups especially the Chinese, Japanese or other individuals of Asian descent formed areas together in order to further protect themselves from social problems. When looking at Philadelphia's social makeup, there are also areas that have been more predominately Italian and German. Obviously, these areas have changed more than China Town in terms of ethnic solidarity but there are still areas that seem to have more Italian and German families. Some of these areas especially China Town have market squares where there are many different types of restaurants and places for goods all from the same ethnicity. Along with wanting to be with familiar people, individuals of the same ethnicity move to market squares in order to promote their ethnic product while supporting and promoting their friend's and family's businesses. However, all in all ethnic solidarity comes from a primal need of humans to be around familiar people as well as for protection from other groups in terms of xenophobia.
In my opinion, Philadelphia is a city that formed by different ethnic solidarities. All people that formed those ethnic solidarities are the foundation of Philadelphia. On macro view of the city, different people always live with their own communities. Not only those new and old immigrants like to form a certain community, but also those white Americans and black Americans have their own communities. For example, in the north Philly, most of residents are black people. There are plenty of communities in Philadelphia like German living at Germantown, Chinese living at Chinatown, and Italian living at South Philadelphia. All different nationalities help developing Philadelphia and enrich the life in Philadelphia. People here can experience a lot of different cultures without living the city. That is so wonderful.
Actually, I do not have any family members that immigrant to another country, maybe because during those big immigration waves, my family members did not have enough money to get on the ship that travel to United States or other countries. I heard that it cost quite a lot to get a boat ticket, no matter the immigration was legal or not. However, I do have some friends from primary school, secondary school, and high school are trying to immigrate to another country. Most of them go to United States and Canada.
What they told me is that it is pretty hard to get the green even though there are a few ways to get the green card. Get the green card is the first difficulty they have to face. After they got the green card at those countries, more and more troubles are coming. Language is the biggest one. They do not know the second language as well as the first one. The good thing is those legal immigrants do have enough money with them to afford everything at the beginning. However, it is so hard to find a job for them to continue living in the foreign country. The most common way they can do is to find those ethnic solidarities in the foreign country and get help from them.
Those immigrants bring their own culture to the new city like food and festivals. Then they will combine or maybe twist the local culture a little bit with their own country. Here we got a new culture. The biggest ethnic solidarity has the ability to build the city more close to their own country, and then attract more and more people with the same nationality. Moreover, the city will attract more visitors.
Phil S.
Lecture Response:
Philadelphia, like a lot of other major American cities, has a variety of spaces and places that have been shaped by ethnic solidarity. I do think these spaces are a great strength to the city, because having that ethnic solidarity often leads to cohesive neighborhoods, as well as making the city more interesting.
Obviously, since this is Philadelphia, the Italian enclave of South Philadelphia must be mentioned. There are no true boundaries to this area; you just know it when you see it. This is the second largest concentration of Italian-Americans in the country, and its continuing legacy is due in large part to the ethnic solidarity demonstrated by former and current South Philadelphia Italian-Americans. Instead of converting to the “norm” (either because of their pride or because they were not welcomed into society) that is speaking English, starting businesses that catered to all Americans instead of Italian-Americans, and giving up their Italian past for an American future, the Italian immigrants were able to maintain some of their old ways, leading to sustained ethnic solidarity, and a very unique neighborhood.
Another example of ethnic solidarity in Philadelphia is Fairhill, which is just a few blocks Northeast of Temple campus (around Fifth and Lehigh). Fairhill, also known as “El Centro de Oro”, (translates to “The Golden Center”, but means “Heart of Gold”) is a major Puerto Rican ethnic enclave. Again, there are no definite borders, but just as the Italian Market has its iconic foot-stands in the street, Fairhill has its own, very unique sidewalk designs, real palm trees, and other artwork that make it very distinct from the rest of the city. Just like the Italian-Americans, the conditions of immigration lead to an increased need for ethnic solidarity, and as a result, the Puerto Rican heritage of Fairhill is alive in the sights, sounds, and language of the area.
Lecture Response:
I would say that ethnic solidarity has influenced the way in which areas of Philadelphia are named or referred to. This is evident enough in many of the markers that are given to these physical locations. Germantown, Chinatown, and Koreatown are just a few examples. These areas mark a distinction between the Philadelphia and a small section of the world.
Restaurants, businesses, and services are also impacted by ethnic solidarity. They change the type of products that are being consumed in an area and in turn impact local business. This is noticeable when you're trying to find a solid Dim Sum place and wonder why you always end up in Chinatown.
Another way in which the city is physically changed is the change in traditional American architecture styles. The China Gate is an authentic gate built by Chinese artisans and stands for companionship with the city of Tianjin. The area also features decorated sewer caps that carry traditional Chinese imagery which contrast the rather drab sewer caps around the rest of Philadelphia. In Little Saigon, Philadelphia there are strip malls that are similar to the layout of Vietnamese-American communities across the US.
Response to Lectures 19, 21 & 24:
Ethnic solidarity, much like many other cities, has influenced the physical form of Philadelphia. First, ethnic solidarity is when a certain ethnic group unites and organizes itself and acts in a certain unified way. This can be a result of Ethnic Identification which is the extent of which an individual identifies with a certain group. Like the lecture says, this is not always simple, as you have to ask questions such as “Who are you?” and “What are you?” Today, it is not as crucial for us to ask ourselves these questions as it was back in the early 1900s. However, because that was essential back then, cities began to take physical form based on these identifications.
Philadelphia is one of this cities that has physical proof that this influenced the structure of the city. The very first example of this would be the different neighborhoods dedicated to a certain group. Chinatown in Center City is a perfect example of this. When walking around in Chinatown, you will find all of the authentic Chinese places from shops to restaurants to markets. Most of the signs in Chinatown will also be in Chinese. Another example of this is the Italian dominated South Philadelphia.Although there is no obvious beginning and end to the Italian influenced area like Chinatown, it is very clear that this group formed together and created their own neighborhood where they could exist together and form a community. Philadelphia has much more than just these two neighborhoods. In my opinion it is one of the most culturally diverse cities in the nation.
Optional Response:
Yes, immigration has affected my family and my family has deep roots in life as an immigrant in the city of Philadelphia. Lecture 21 actually talked about Central European immigration. Coincidentally when I visited my grandparents last week, we started talking about the immigration in our family, and my great grandparents migrated from Poland, Ireland, and Germany. When reading these lectures, it all sounded so familiar to me since I had just heard my grandmother tell me similar stories about her family and my grandfather's family. They had to go through many hardships after they came to the United States. My ancestors all chose to settle in Manayunk, a borough northwest of Center City Philadelphia, just up the Schukyll River. My polish ancestors had to change their name because whenever they went to find a job, they would come across signs that would read "Polloks need not apply." They went through a great deal of hardships after leaving their families behind to come to a country where they were poor and in desperate need of money so they could feed their families. None of them went to college and were put in factory jobs where they got paid little to nothing. My grandmother recalls not being very close with her grandmother because her grandmother spoke no English and her parents vowed to put her in normal school rather than Polish school because they wanted her to have a normal life without discrimination. My mother and her siblings were the first generation to go to college because it took two or three generations of family members to get the family on track and out of poverty. Now, three or four generations later I am now in college and have a good future ahead of me. Ironically, I spend a lot of time in Manayunk, and the houses that my ancestors lived in have since been knocked down or converted into something else. But it is interesting to me to look around at a part of Philadelphia and see how far my great grandparents would have to walk to get to work, or see the broken down mills and factories that they used to work in.
The growth of Philadelphia as a city has resulted in many a neighborhood being born or vanishing throughout the years. With the influx of immigrants over the years, small communities have formed that eventually turn into entire neighborhoods. History has also been known to completely eradicate these places only to replace them with types of communities. Insofar as Philadelphia is concerned though ethnic solidarity has had a great impact on the popularity and/or economic growth in certain areas. One example that sticks out are the neighborhoods that conglomerate to form South Philadelphia. Historically, many south Europeans, predominantly of Italians, have settled in what is now South Philadelphia. It has resulted, in part, to an economic growth specific to that area with the inclusion of the Italian Market on 9th Street. This market sells things produced by the very people who live in that community and exploits their talents in this ethnic solidarity shared by the Italians. Were it not for them moving together to that area of Philadelphia, there would be no Italian Market which further facilitates the solidarity found there.
Response to lecture:
Ethnic solidarity has played a huge part in shaping the form of Philadelphia over the course of its history. As a major eastern seaport within a short distance of nearby major cities such as New York and Washington, Philadelphia has been a hub of immigration for many years. While much of the city's form today emulates the industrial era of the 20th century, the cultural makeup of its layout bears the signs of the ethnic solidarity. Various neighborhoods are famous for housing immigrants of specific regions, and this trend shows in the cultural makeup of those areas. In South Philly, for instance, lies one of the largest Italian immigrant enclaves in the United States. This neighborhood is famous for its cuisine and distinct Italian American heritage. Another example is Chinatown, which forms a portion of Center City. Here the cultural heritage is obvious as most of the shops and restaurants contain Chinese signage and cater to a niche market. Similarly, the hispanic neighborhoods in Northern and Eastern parts of the city contain Spanish signage, denoting a strong ethnic background of such areas.
This solidarity has strengthened the city, as immigrants who faced severe challenges in rebuilding their lives could find communal support and feel a sense of familiarity with their national kin. From an outside perspective in the present, I find that this solidarity also strengthens the city in the sense of cultural diversity, in that the occurrence of cultural enclaves highlights their individual values and traits in a noticeable way, whereas if each culture was diffused evenly throughout the city geographically, their characteristics would blur together and lose their richness.
Optional response:
Personally, I owe my life in America entirely to immigration. My ancestors emigrated to the United States during the second wave of immigration from eastern Europe, particularly Poland, Russia, and Austria. The borders at the turn of the century were not consistent with today's political borders, so culturally I identify more as an Ashkenazi Jew than as a descendent of any of those individual nations. My relatives mainly lived in Brooklyn and Manhattan's Lower East Side, and some still do to this day. As a result, I grew up nearby in Northern New Jersey. However, some of these relatives did in fact relocate to Philadelphia a few decades later. From what I understand, life for them in Brooklyn was fulfilling, yet difficult. Initially, my great great grandparents and their children lived in a small apartment with no electricity. They also did not initially have access to a synagogue and had to hold religious services in their basement. Eventually, however, the Jewish population in New York grew and they found tremendous solidarity amongst their neighbors. The men of the family worked extremely diligently despite the sacrifices they had to make and eventually established small businesses to support their families. My grandfather as a result entered the textile business.
These neighborhoods that were once home to Jewish immigrants today mostly seem to be Hispanic enclaves. I find it fascinating that so many immigrants from very different cultures and geographic locations have made the same use of the same spaces years apart. While the "American Dream" is often met with cynicism, if it were to hold true, I find that such an example of changing spaces over the years is a prime testament to such a notion.
Woojae H.
Optional Response
I am an international student from Korea studying in the U.S. Being an immigrant myself, my response will be written from a different point of view. I would like to talk about immigrants who came to Korea from other countries. I have started studying English since I was young. I suppose I started going to a kindergarten where the teachers were mostly immigrants. Main reason for that being was that they are native English speakers. In my high school years, I have gone to a private institution through my vacation to study for SATs. The teachers there were all immigrants from the U.S or Canada who have previously studied for SATs when they were getting ready for their college preparation. Those being said, I have been hugely influenced by immigrants. In fact, I have learned so much from them that my English would not be as good now. I am sure that it is happening worldwide since people from many countries are trying to learn English. While there certainly are people from their own countries who can teach English, the institutions and students prefer to learn from native English speakers. There is even a trend of some people from English speaking countries to take a vacation to teach English at other countries since there is a high demand. To conclude, I think that I was hugely influenced by American or Canadian immigrants throughout my life.
I would like to write a comment on David’s comment on this week’s lectures. David has mentioned that due to the changes in the product being consumed by people in specific areas, the local businesses have been affected. He also touched on the influence on architectural changes of having communities formed by immigrants. I was glad to read this comment because I was not aware of the fact that there can be influences in terms of architectures from having immigrants. I would like to ask a question. Do you think that those changes caused by immigrants are positive or negative?
Responding to Hong Woojae
Thank you for the comment! I believe that the changes themselves and the immigrant populations that bring them are very positive for the city. I believe that the changes have improved not only the physical aspects of the city but the aspects of identity as well. When I first moved here it was very difficult learning where in Philadelphia I belonged. Through seeing how many separate identities were present in the city, I've been able to grow in conjunction with those surroundings. Also, visiting and having so many areas of non-white businesses within the city have helped to form a lasting positive association with many cultural groups. I don't think I would have stayed in Philadelphia otherwise.
Comment on Daniel K's response:
"I find that this solidarity also strengthens the city in the sense of cultural diversity, in that the occurrence of cultural enclaves highlights their individual values and traits in a noticeable way, whereas if each culture was diffused evenly throughout the city geographically, their characteristics would blur together and lose their richness."
Daniel brought up an important point on immigrants having kin and community that were fundamental in forming these immigrant enclaves throughout Philadelphia. I also enjoy the examples you provided that highlight the diversity of enclaves present in Philadelphia. My question is whether you believe that a blurring of these enclaves' boundaries would legitimately result in a loss of richness or an expansion of diversity? If so, how?
Alaina L made a great point about the need for ethnic identification during the waves of immigration. The most notable passage is a distinction between that stage of American history and the current stage we are in:
"Like the lecture says, this is not always simple, as you have to ask questions such as “Who are you?” and “What are you?” Today, it is not as crucial for us to ask ourselves these questions as it was back in the early 1900s."
There could be many reasons why it is not as crucial for us to feel a sense of cultural identification. The main reason is that we feel American and not the ethnicity of our grandparents. This is the ideal end result of cultural assimilation, where the new population has adopted an American identity. At the same time, it conflicts with what Alaina mentioned about the importance of ethnic solidarity. You could say that ethnic solidarity solved that question of self-identity, but I think many multi-generational Americans no longer feel connected to the ethnicity they immigrated from, and that is what solved the question.
Ethnic solidarity is a wonderful opportunity to feel a connection with your native country after your family has immigrated. Over time, though, the effect loses its importance as the connection weakens over generations. Alaina covered this, but I think there is one more important distinction to be made. The importance of ethnic solidarity weakens because people have been assimilated. The reason xenophobia exists between second-wave immigrants and third-wave immigrants is because those second-wave families feel American now. Ethnic solidarity is no more than a comfortable community to receive new immigrants. Once immigration has occurred, it serves no real purpose and the community itself will gradually be assimilated.
Woojae H.
Responding to David G’s Question
The question brought up by David was whether blurring the boundaries of the enclaves will result in loss of richness in those cultures or not, and if so he wanted us to write about what the reasons for that would be. I certainly believe that the boundaries between those enclaves make each of them unique and make them able to function better for more development. By being separated, each of them, the shops and restaurants in same enclaves, can compete with each other, help each other, and attract more visitors. It makes it easier for visitors because customers do not need to think any harder but go to one enclave to do their businesses. Therefore, I believe that boundaries are crucial when it comes to the richness of cultures. If the boundaries are blurred, there will be more flow between each cultures resulting in, perhaps, mixing of cultures. Mixing of cultures is certainly going to be beneficial. It is encouraged by the society as well. However, if we try to think of it in a long run, the uniqueness of cultures cannot last long that way. Perhaps that is why people are calling the current time era the era of globalization.
Aleandra R.
Ethnic solidarity is very apparent in some parts of Philadelphia. A very clear example of this would be China Town. China Town is a predominantly Asian-American community located in Center City. Of the total residents living in the area in 2000, 1,085 were Asian American, 152 were White American, 71 were African American, 31 were of other races, and 23 were Hispanic American. Chinatown offers various Asian markets and restaurants for the residents that live in the area. I also found a website that shows a 2010 census distribution of race throughout Philly. Whites are represented by blue dots, Latinos by orange, Asians by red, and Blacks by green. You can clearly see that Whites are covering almost all of Center City. A few red blotches are also scattered throughout Center City, the main one being Chinatown. North and West Philly are almost entirely covered in green dots, representing Blacks. Finally, Latinos(orange) represent almost the entirety of East Philly.
Ethnic solidarity can be a necessity to keep cultural identity alive as an immigrant. There is connection between people who share the same values, social patterns, and language. As discussed in the lecture immigration can leave an individual or family feeling isolated from the social ties they once shared and enjoyed in. In these cases it is necessary to form bonds with those of the same ethnicity and share in a community separate from the surrounding society. While there are many areas such as China Town and South Philly's Italian Market it is interesting to note that these communities come in all shapes and sizes. It is interesting to see sections such as Reading Terminal Market where something like cuisine brings these cultures all together. Likewise just as Woojae H. pointed out a place such as China town has created something of a marketplace for the community to come together and exchange common goods and dishes. Just as Craig W. elaborated on Alaina L.'s post ethnic solidarity brings these communities together but once they are no longer purposeful. I think Philadelphia remains a place of cultural diversity because of the consistent immigration that continues even today and the need for a cultural bond between immigrants weather they are facing hardships in a new country or celebrating with one another their cultural values.
Are there examples where neighborhoods formed on the basis of ethnic solidarity have assimilated and are no longer purposeful within Philadelphia?
Phil S.
Response to Daniel K.'s comments:
I especially enjoyed reading Daniel K.'s comments about immigration, as my family came to the United States under similar conditions. My Father's family came from Italy and settled in Brooklyn and the Bronx, and my Mother's family came from Poland and settled in Baltimore. My Mother's Grandparents soon opened a Polish deli/general store in Baltimore. I especially liked reading about how your great great grandparents held religious in their own home, in order to reserve their culture, and allow others to do the same. This is a great example of ethnic solidarity that can occur among immigrant groups.
In response to Dynisha B’s post, I agree with her point that ethnic solidarity connects many different individuals and brings everyone together to form communities, while celebrating one another’s cultural views and identities.
As for “examples where neighborhoods formed on the basis of ethnic solidarity that are no longer purposeful within Philadelphia,” I think that communities such as Chinatown and the Italian Market have evolved in terms of their purposefulness and have not necessarily lost it. Although they originally existed to strengthen bonds between similar individuals and establish a solid foundation in America, these enclaves have developed social ties amongst various ethnicities and continue to grow their foundation based on cultural acceptance and connections. I think that this cultural richness can expand ethnic solidarity, while simultaneously preserving ethnic identification.
“Ethnic solidarity organizes and unites certain ethnic groups. Cities often become richer due to these ethnic neighborhoods and sometimes suffer because the economic and housing standards for these neighborhoods is not the same as the neighborhoods in which assimilation has taken place.”
Are there areas where ethnic solidarity is less accepted due to a difference in class status? Do those standards influence ethnic identification?
Woojae H. made some very interesting points about the importance of cultural boundaries in a city. Clearly separated cultural sections add a sense of diversity to the city, also allowing for a diverse market to attract visitors. As I have said before, though, I think the clearly separated sections of the city also pose a risk to the culture of Philadelphia.
It's strange to think of a "Philadelphia" culture and ethnicity because everyone has roots in different places in the world. The clearly separated sections of the city are barriers keeping the many different cultures from unifying. If the different sections blended, then there could be one culture that could represent Philadelphia. All of the native countries were just countries, and there is no real reason Philadelphia can't also be a single culture. I enjoy walking through Chinatown and the Italian neighborhoods in South Philly, but when the cultures are separated into these distinct areas then there is an unspoken allegiance and independence from the rest of the city. I think this pattern of ethnic solidarity is dangerous to upholding a unified city with a recognizable culture.
Response to Daniel K's comments:
I also enjoyed reading about Daniel's ancestors and how they established their ethnic solidarity and family foundation in America. I can relate to his and his family's experiences because my family immigrated from China and Cambodia, and they also struggled when they initially arrived to America. My grandparents and other relatives fled from Cambodia during a civil war, eventually fleeing to America and located to the Bronx, New York; but shortly after, moved to Philadelphia to join other relatives that also established their own lives after the war. My family worked through many difficulties to appropriately assimilate to American life, and were able to do so by connecting with other ethnic neighborhoods as well as reaching out to Cambodian and Chinese communities.
In response to the lectures, I think that ethnic solidarity has played a key role in the development of Philadelphia as a city. Philly is made up of so many different neighborhoods and pockets of people who come from so many different places and ethnic backgrounds. For example, a large portion of my family is from West Kensington. My grandmother and grandfather both moved to the neighborhood with their families from Puerto Rico when they were small children. My grandmother grew up at Lawrence & Dauphin, my grandfather at 8th & Dauphin. That area, even to this day, is a largely Hispanic neighborhood. Advertisements, signage, murals, among other things, are written in Spanish. Supermarkets cater to Latin American needs. Stores and restaurants proudly flaunt their Hispanic culture. People who moved their from their home countries brought with them their culture and established it here in Philly. I, however, grew up in Northeast Philadelphia. In particular I can remember being in grade school at a young age and being one of only a couple kids in my entire grade who didn't come from an Irish family. This always confused me as a kid. When I look at it now, however, people of like backgrounds living in close proximity to one another makes sense. I think its about people staying in their own comfort zone. For example, people coming from Latin America might settle in the area where my grandparents grew up because it's already an established Latin American community. People speak the same language, have similar customs, eat similar foods, and live similar ways of life. All the amenities you need are in that little pocket of people who you're similar to. Moving away takes these things away from you. To this day my mother still has to travel to the old neighborhood to get ingredients to make sofrito-the ingredient Puerto Ricans use in nearly every dish we cook-because the ingredients just aren't available in our Northeast neighborhood. These neighborhoods that are resultant of ethnic solidarity are settlements of people with like ideas, customs, cultures, and ways of life.
This can also be dangerous to a city. Ethnic solidarity keeps different cultures and customs apart from each other. Therefore, they remain unfamiliar. In that situation, one culture may be unwelcoming to another, which can generate prejudices among different ethnic groups.
Richie S. makes a well established perspective on his own life in Northeast Philadelphia and I enjoyed his thoughts on what it was like growing up between two distinct cultures. Ethnic solidarity does indeed bring likeminded individuals with the similar backgrounds together, but just as Richie mentioned this can pose a threat to the city. To answer Cathy N.'s question yes I do think some neighborhoods in Philadelphia are hindered by their class status and thus affects the community’s ethnic identification as a whole. As discussed in the lecture it took a few generations for some immigrants to move out of poverty and this brought people from the same place facing the same hardships together, and the same can still be said today. I think today though it is less about difference in class status and more like Richie was saying where people from different cultures are just apprehensive about learning new ways of life and this can generate prejudices and further alienation of certain ethnic groups. To further Craig W.'s point it could indeed be helpful to see more cultures coming together. Ethnic solidarity and these distinct city neighborhoods have character and history to the people living there, however, it does indeed withdraw them further from the rest of society.
Richie S. brought up a great perspective on why ethnic solidarity might be perpetuated. Ethnic solidarity is a great comfort zone for new immigrants, but it leads to situations where one Puerto Rican student goes to school that's nearly completely Irish. A tension and fear of sticking out is built every time something like this happens, and serves to perpetuate the ethnic solidarity that caused it in the first place.
At the heart of the tension is a feeling that you aren't meant to live in the area you're in. This obviously isn't true, and in most places no one says it, but it exists in the difference in visual space. Everyone looks similar, they have brought their culture from their native country and used it in the architecture, the food, the accents, and so on. The use of visual space in this way sends a message to everyone else, that a different ethnicity being there is an obtrusion into a celebration of their culture.
It could be a seemingly harmless belief that, if other ethnicities start coming into that area, then it will slowly not be a celebration of their culture anymore. What happens in practice, though, is that some areas of the city are wealthier than others, and the unspoken segregation creates a wage gap between ethnicities. If someone searched for a root situation that caused this gap, they would most likely be led to the ethnic solidarity that has persisted ever since immigration.
Dynisha B. brought up an interesting point that ethnic solidarity is arguably a neccessity for the preservation of cultural identity. This is interesting because I feel as if when the the physical form of ethnic neighborhoods were happeining in Philadelpha, it was because there was some sort of discrimination going on at the time so the formation of these neighborhoods happened. That is at least what I have gathered from listening to my family talk about the past. I think when these people initially migrated to this country they thought they would come here for opportunity and free of judgement and that was not the case. And now to Dynisha's point that this ethnic solidarity is essential, that sounds sad to me. It is one thing to relate to someone with the same culture as you, but to feel the need to keep these physical borders to maintain the culture is sad. It shouldn't be that way. Everyone should be able to keep their culture without those needs.
Response to Cathy N's question:
I definitely do think that there are places where ethnic solidarity is considered a bad thing. Although I do not know the specifics, but my opinion would be with the reputation being thrown around of Mexican Americans by Donald Trump, I feel as if that culture may be having a hard time culturally coexisting in the country, as there may be areas in the cities in the nation where they have formed these physical boundaries of ethnic solidarity that may be keeping them in a certain status in society. I like the idea of ethnic solidarity. It helps those with differing cultures keep it close to them just like I think they have every right to do, but unfortunately I think there are some people in this country that use that opportunity to make them an easier target.
Post a Comment