Year 3 Project Proposal

Assimilation as a social process of migration. Stages of adaptation to another society. An impact of assimilation or refusal to adapt.

What aspects influence the easiness or complexity of assimilating into new society?

Are there any common patterns of the process?

Is there a choice between assimilating and not? Is this choice important for the person and/or society?

Most people migrate because of desire to find a better place for life in short or long-time perspective whether they choose or are forced to. For me it was a hard decision to move from Latvia to Britain and took me a year and a half to be made. It all started when my partner was experiencing the ‘benefits’ of European economic crisis and moved to Bradford in the search for work. As for me I resisted moving for quite a long time because migration meant for me leaving my family, friends, lifestyle and work in favor of becoming a housewife in unfamiliar society. Comparing my life before and after the decision to migrate, the difference was a cultural, social and economic degradation for me, but it was the price I had to pay for my relationship and, as I understand it now, for a chance to begin an entirely new and enthralling life I would never dare to begin in my native country.

For me the process of assimilating was and still is a challenge which caused conflicting emotions, enjoyable and unwanted changes in my life and environment, that’s why I want to research what does assimilation mean for other immigrants, how it proceeds and what’s the importance of it?

To start with I’m planning to find out what is migration itself, what types and causes of migration exist. I want to research an impact of it on society, culture and economics. What is social integration? Is it important for immigrants and/or a host county? What is involved in the process of assimilation? Is it beneficial or disadvantageous? Why do people decide to assimilate or not?

I believe the issues are important for both migrants and the host counties because nowadays the process of migration is extremely actual, especially in Europe as people immigrate to and emigrate from most countries in search for better circumstances, lives and possibilities. Considering all above I think that the audience for the project includes all the adults who care for culture, economics and society we live in.

Migration

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/geography/migration/migration_trends_rev2.shtml

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/geography/migration/types_migration_rev4.shtml

http://migrationmuseum.org/category/blog/

http://www.oecd.org/els/mig/15579866.pdf (also see feminization of migration, p.17-18)

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/sep/30/uk-capitalise-on-immigration-integration-diversity

http://www.mipex.eu/united-kingdom

The difference

https://www.migrationwatchuk.org/briefing-paper/70

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/the-difference-between-asylum-seekers-refugees-and-economic-migrants-10460431.html

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/28/migrants-refugees-and-asylum-seekers-whats-the-difference

Impact