Open AccessDemographic change and assimilation in the early 21st-century United States
Author(s) -
Richard Alba,
Christopher Maggio
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
proceedings of the national academy of sciences of the united states of america
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.011
H-Index - 771
eISSN - 1091-6490
pISSN - 0027-8424
DOI - 10.1073/pnas.2118678119
Subject(s) - racism , assimilation (phonology) , white (mutation) , race (biology) , people of color , demographic change , sociology , minority group , ethnic group , gender studies , demography , population , anthropology , linguistics , philosophy , biochemistry , chemistry , gene
Significance The contemporary intellectual landscape, dominated by theories about race and racism, has engendered the majority–minority conception of the American future, in which White people are outnumbered by Americans of color by midcentury. But assimilation, as a set of processes with societal ramifications, is still potent, driven by demographic dynamics that generate opportunities for minority mobility, and is linked to increasing family mixing between White and non-White people. The children of these families offer the best window into ongoing assimilation. The binary vision of the majority–minority society needs major modification because of the emergence and growing size of this bridging group. In addition, racism-focused theories need to be complemented by assimilation ideas to grasp the implications of demographic change.