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European Languages and Societies

2017

Assimilation

Articles 1 - 3 of 3

Full-Text Articles in Arts and Humanities

Challenging The Myth Of Italian Jewish Assimilation, Shira Klein Feb 2017

Challenging The Myth Of Italian Jewish Assimilation, Shira Klein

History Faculty Articles and Research

"There is a widespread belief that Italian Jews in the modern period 'assimilated,' meaning that they merged with the gentile society to such an extent that they abandoned their Jewish identity. This belief is based on the fact that modern Italian Jews became less observant. From the nineteenth century onwards, Italian Jews attended synagogue less frequently, observed kashrut less stringently, and married Christians in growing numbers. Most scholars have concluded from these trends that Italian Jewish identity disintegrated. This article argues to the contrary. Using a wide array of sources, including Italian Jewish community archives, newspapers, memoirs, and oral histories, …


Ethnic Preservation Or Americanization: A Study Of Language And Ethnicity In The Danish Brotherhood In America, Nick Kofod Mogensen Jan 2017

Ethnic Preservation Or Americanization: A Study Of Language And Ethnicity In The Danish Brotherhood In America, Nick Kofod Mogensen

The Bridge

Once European mass immigration to America began in the mid-nineteenth century, roughly 400,000-450,000 Danish immigrants made their way to the United States,2 with approximately 300,000 of them arriving between 1880-1920.3 Immigrant historians agree that Danish immigrants assimilated rather quickly into American core society, i.e., the white Protestant majority population of Anglo-Saxon descent.4 One of the main reasons for this ease of assimilation was the relative scarcity of concentrated settlements of Danish immigrants compared to other immigrant groups, as Danes oft en sett led in areas in America with few other Danish immigrants.


Jennifer Eastman Att Ebery. Pole Raising And Speech Making: Modalities Of Swedish American Summer Celebration., Christopher Oscarson Jan 2017

Jennifer Eastman Att Ebery. Pole Raising And Speech Making: Modalities Of Swedish American Summer Celebration., Christopher Oscarson

The Bridge

In a conversation with a colleague several years ago, I was surprised to find out that we were both exactly one quarter Swedish—I through my paternal grandfather and he through his maternal grandfather. This was unexpected because based on his appearance, family traditions, and last name, I had never anticipated that we might share this common ancestral heritage. Whereas my family has tended to emphasize its connections to Swedish culture, his has focused on links to Japan. There are good reasons that account for the differences in our families’ respective cultural identification, but the variability of how we each see …