A transnational amendment to assimilation theory: country of origin's racial status versus transnational Whiteness

• Published in: Ethnic and Racial Studies Vol. 47; no. 3; pp. 459 - 482
• Main Authors: Karimi, Aryan, Wilkes, Rima
• Format: Journal Article Book Review
• Language: English
• Published: London Routledge 17-02-2024; Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group
• Subjects: 20th century; Assimilation; Country of origin; eastern European migration; European cultural groups; Geography; Majority groups; middle-eastern migration; Migrants; Minority groups; Mobility; racialized geography; Theory; transnational assimilation theory; Transnational race; Transnationalism; Whiteness
• ISSN: 0141-9870; 1466-4356
• DOI: 10.1080/01419870.2023.2174810

In the twentieth century, European migrants' ethnic and racial status changed as they joined the mainstream. Assimilation theory identified socioeconomic mobility as the driver of this outcome. More recently, non-European migrants have also achieved socioeconomic parity with the mainstream. Yet, a puzzle has emerged: unlike earlier European migrants these non-Europeans remain "racialized". They are both a part of, and excluded from, the majority group. This paper proffers a transnational amendment to assimilation theory. While socioeconomic parity matters so too does the similarity between the imagined racial status of the origin and host country. Groups originating from geographies that are imagined as outside of transnational Whiteness remain a "racial minority". Groups originating from geographies that are imagined as within transnational Whiteness are already White and, thereby, assimilated. To delineate this transnational approach to assimilation and inclusion, we provide examples from Europeans' and non-Europeans' assimilation trajectories.