The Assimilation Myth: A Study of Second Generation Polish Immigrants in Western Australia by Ruth Johnston

Book Description

Secondhand. Very good condition. Minor wear to book corners and edges. Some minor scratches to covers. Interior and binding are still excellent.

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 express­ed a desire for them to become Australians. Naturally, it seem­ed 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 much of it has been speculative, since nobody has yet gone into the homes of immigrants and asked them and their children how they feel about a culture that is new to them. The present study is unique in this sense because it fills a vital gap by studying the 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 litera­ture. 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 phenomena are traced in the present study. ­ The theme of cultural conflict is also discussed in the book.

Publications of the Research Group for European Migration Problems XIV.