Dynamics of Subcultural Change

Subcultures such as those of Hispanics exist withina larger culture, not apart from it. Consequently, subcultures and the mainstream culture meet and exert influence on each other at many points. Sometimes the effects of the subculture on the dominant culture are so great that a new, and in many ways amalgamated, culture emerges. In the case of Hispanics influencing the larger American culture, however, the effects are much more selective. The Anglo-American culture has been enriched by the introduction of Hispanic food, clothing, music, architecture, and words, but it has not undergone fundamental change as a result of this subcultural contact.

In contrast, the norms and values of some Hispanic Americans have been profoundly challenged by the need to interact with the pervasive Anglo world. One example can be seen in language. Hispanics have had to make their way in a “foreign” society in which English is the language of the workplace, the marketplace, the school, and the political arena. Until recently, Hispanic children in many schools of the Southwest were punished for speaking Spanish in the classroom or on the playground. Even today, many Spanish-speaking children are handicapped in classrooms with predominantly English-speaking activities and programs. Hispanic traditions also face challenges in the realm of values. The realities of American life often force Hispanics into a highly individualistic and competitive environment that in many respects is hostile to their ideals of human interaction. Because of these pressures, some Hispanics have gradually relinquished their traditional language and values to conform to the dominant Anglo culture.

This response is far from universal, however. Compared with other groups of immigrants to the United States, Hispanics have been among the least inclined to merge into the dominant culture. Such merging is called assimilation, the process by which members of a subculture come to accept the cultural patterns of the larger society. Researchers have found that it has taken about three generations for members of most immigrant groups to achieve an identity as Americans rather than as Armenians, Germans, Russians, or whatever. Sociologist Milton Gordon has identified three stages of this process. The first stage is cultural assimilation, which allows the newcomers to function within the host society by taking on many of its lifeways without necessarily relinquishing their definitions of themselves as a distinct ethnic group. Thus, Puerto Ricans may learn English, perform their jobs satisfactorily, vote, observe laws and regulations, but still maintain a separate identity as members of a Hispanic subculture.

The next stage (if it occurs at all) is structural assimilation, whereby newcomers seek entrance into cliques, clubs, and institutions of the larger society through personal contact with dominant group members. This type of assimilation gradually erodes the structural ties binding individuals within the subculture. Eventually, it may lead to marital assimilation, whereby some members of the subculture intermarry with members of the larger society. Gordon believes that, at this point, the subculture has become essentially a historic entity with little influence on a person’s life.

The assimilation process often brings uncertainty and pain. People may suffer severe identity shocks as they give up old, deep-rooted values for new and often conflicting ones. For instance, the Hispanic value of an individual’s inner worth and goodness is not at all the same as the dominant culture’s emphasis on the freedom of the individual to move upward and compete for higher status. As some young Hispanics embrace the American ideal of the autonomous individual, they find themselves cut loose from the close-knit, supportive community of their subculture, which they have come to reject as stifling. But once they have accepted the American ideal of individual freedom and opportunity, they discover that they are often educationally handicapped and the targets of prejudice. Many feel stranded, cut off from a traditional culture that offers identity and support but without a real anchor in the new culture.