Okuzeka
Sociology vocabulary · Migration, Race and Ethnicity

Assimilation

Meaning in sociology, with examples

/əˌsɪməˈleɪʃən/nounCommon term

In sociology, assimilation means: The process by which a minority or migrant group gradually adopts the culture, language and customs of the majority society and becomes less distinct from it.

In Turkish: asimilasyon, özümseme

How it is used

One of several models of how migrants and receiving societies adjust to each other, alongside integration and multiculturalism. Researchers study cultural, structural and linguistic assimilation across generations, and forced assimilation policies are a recurring topic in the history of nation-states.

Example sentences

  1. The Chicago School saw assimilation as the final stage of a race relations cycle.

  2. Language use is often taken as a measure of assimilation among the grandchildren of migrants.

Common collocations

  • cultural assimilation
  • assimilation and integration
  • forced assimilation
  • segmented assimilation
  • multiculturalismThe coexistence of several cultural or ethnic groups in one society, and the policies or ideas that support recognising and respecting their differences.
  • migrationThe movement of people from one place to another to live, either within a country or across national borders, for reasons such as work, family, education or safety.
  • minority groupA group that has less power, status or access to resources than the dominant group in a society, often because of its ethnicity, religion, language or another shared characteristic.
  • diasporaA population that lives outside its original homeland, often spread across several countries, while keeping cultural, emotional or economic ties with it.

More terms: Migration, Race and Ethnicity

Practise with graded reading

Reading at the right level is the fastest way to make new words stick. Pick free English books by level: