Comparison and contrast China Town and Little Italy in San Francisco - Essay Example

?Introduction China Town in San Francisco is considered as the largest and the oldest China Towns in North America. It is also the largest locality of Chinese people outside Asia suggesting that it has become a significant hub for people of Chinese origin living outside Asia. Over the period of time, it has been able to serve as one of the largest cultural and social hubs for Chinese immigrants in North America. Little Italy is also one of the neighborhoods in San Francisco and is near to the China Town and has remained as home to Italian Americans. Little Italy is surrounded by China Town, Fisherman’s Wharf and Russian Hills. This neighborhood is still famous for largest number of Italian restaurants despite the fact that immigrants belonging to other regions are also now living in this locality. This locality therefore is considered as a mix of Italian as well as other communities which have been living in this area. Both these localities present a unique mix of social and cultural diversity in a country which is dominated by White people. The fact that both these communities have been able to establish themselves as the leading communities of immigrants outside their own home countries demonstrate that people tend to live together with those who share same culture and value. This paper will discuss both the localities and attempt to discuss culture of both the neighborhoods besides discussing as to what are different symbolic interactions taking place in these localities. China Town China Town in San Francisco was established in 1848 and has gradually emerged as the largest locality outside Asia where Chinese people are residing. It is also one of those ethnic enclaves1 which have been able to retain most of its cultural roots. It is also the oldest China Town in North America and portrays the cultural diversity and richness of China in a place which is not even remotely linked with China culturally. It has remained highly instrumental in providing cultural support to the Chinese immigrants who have migrated to US during different phases of time. It is however, critical to note that Chinese have been targeted for structural inequality2 through different exclusion acts passed by government. (Chinn) Most of the inhabitants of Chinatown are either from mainland China and still have relatives living in mainland China. This simple fact has actually allowed immigrants living in Chinatown to maintain a critical cultural link with their roots. It is because of this similarity that social control 3is relatively higher in China Town. This also ensures compliance with the norms 4which are required to live in Chinese dominated society. This has also further slowed down the absorption of Chinese people into the mainstream American culture also. The overall mix of population in this locality indicates a very different and varied level of population. Some families are recent arrivals in the locality as well as in North America whereas some are living since their last two or three generations. This has resultantly created a locality where modern North American culture actually mixes with the old Chinese social and cultural values. The underlying generations of immigrants living in the locality therefore present a very rich picture of how Chinese people have actually evolved over the period of time in North American Region. A simple visit to this locality indicates a lot about the cultural diversity of the locality and what Chinese cultural actually is. During immigration of Chinese in North America, China Town served as a place where Chinese people can actually everything they need. Right from work to social and cultural support, China Town served as a hub for Chinese people to be at home while away from home. Located in a place which is considered as prime real estate location, China Town grew organically and now is considered as one of the culturally rich area in San Francisco. China Town is also a well knit community with residents effectively integrated with each other. Since residents share same culture and social values therefore most of the residents remained limited to the families and social circles available in the locality. Most of the people therefore are unable to form their social connections outside China Town thus restricting themselves only to a minority culture prevailing in the locality as compared to other parts of San Francisco. It is critical to note that this area has also served as one of the highly populated areas for Chinese people. Historically, Chinese concentration has been on the higher side in this area due to different reasons. The major influx of Chinese into this area however began during Gold Rush era when Chinese workman stared to flow into the region as workers. Along with the workers, Chinese elite class also migrated to North America and shared same cultural roots with the workmen migrated from mainland China to take advantage of the rapid economic growth experienced by America. It is critical to understand that China Town is an urban settlement thus provides Chinese people a much modernized urban area to grow and evolve. Despite such urbanization, however, Chinese attempted to limit themselves to the living culture and social norms which they were practicing in China. It is also because of this concentration of the residents that the China Town in San Francisco has remained at the same place whereas China Towns in other parts of the country gradually relocated to some other urban locations over the period of time. (Tsui) Social Stratification The population trends indicate that Chinese people have preferred to concentrate themselves at particular places and China Town was one of the regions where they started to live in groups. There is relatively higher level of social differentiation 5Many sociologists attribute this behavior to voluntary segregation wherein Chinese people deliberately attempted to segregate themselves from the mainstream population of San Francisco. This voluntary segregation therefore has allowed Chinese people to actually preserve and maintain their cultural roots and diversity despite living since centuries in this area. (Chang) It is also argued that the overall discrimination faced by Chinese in North America has been different for different groups of Chinese. Those belonging to elite class of China were treated differently as compared to the workers who were put through different and critically demanding work pressures. It was also because of this segregation as well as discrimination which forced Chinese people to actually concentrate them into areas like China Town and remain stuck with their cultural and social roots. Other cultural and peculiar characteristics of China Town which have even remained as one of the attractions for outsiders is the underworld of China Town. The drugs, opium, prostitution as well as other social ills have been rampant in this locality and it seems Chinese have learned to live with such social norms. What is critical however, is the fact that this underworld has remained limited up to that locality and the prevailing underworld culture has not spread to other areas of San Francisco. Overall social interaction among the residents is relatively non-supervised wherein parents don’t seem to hold much checks and balances over their children. Due to cultural similarity, parents tend to allow their children to easily roam into the streets. It is critical to note however, that children are properly schooled as Chinese people tend to give high importance to the education of their children. Chinese Newspapers are also commonly read in China Town thus reducing the linguistic gap for Chinese who are specially new to the area. These newspapers are both locally produced and are also been imported from China. These Chinese newspapers therefore also serve as one of the key mechanism for interaction and communication with outside world. Religion also seems to play an important role though residents don’t openly practice their religion in its strict sense. Religiously, residents of SF’s China Town seem to be flexible to accommodate the changing requirements of the society in which they are living. Overall living is still very Chinese in its all respects. Overall, China Town residents show a certain degree of social determinism 6in their living standards and social interactions. Little Italy Little Italy is also known as North Beach and is termed as one of the great neighborhoods in America. It is the home to Italian Americans and is adjacent to China Town and other neighborhoods in San Francisco. It has been suggested that this area has remained one of the vibrant localities for Italian Americans and has the largest number of Italian restaurants. The current population mix of the locality indicates that it is full of young urban professionals falling into relatively higher income groups thus can also afford to eat at Italian Restaurants located in the area. This fact can also be associated with the assumption that Italian Americans generally tend to have more inclination towards food and hence like to eat out. This tendency to love food makes Italian Americans a distinct immigrant class having separate and unique social values. (SF Travel) Columbus Avenue of the locality is famous for its Italian restaurants and shops. Most of these business places are run and managed by Italian Americans. This area is also adjacent to other areas and is also near to Condor Club which was America’s first topless bar. Little Italy has the proximity with the beach area of San Francisco also history of this area indicates that it suited Italians most because of this factor. More and more Italians came to live in this area because of its shorelines and wharfs thus making it easier for Italians to adapt to this fishing. (Madanipour) Little Italy is also famous for its Beat culture which emerged from this locality and became famous not only in Cartoons and movies but in real life too. Some argue that this culture emerged as a result of internal dissatisfaction and cultural deviance7. It is also argued that it is because of the social exclusion8 which has been witnessed by generations of Italian Americans. The current reputation of the locality however, indicates that it is famous for its red light area and night life besides hosting families from other cultures also most importantly Chinese families which have migrated from China Town. This indicates that Little Italy is relatively open to residents and immigrants from other cultures. In comparison to China Town, this social factor actually distinguishes Little Italy from China Town because China Town has largely remained a closed locality with little or no acceptability for outsiders. In little Italy, one, however, can easily spot non-Italian immigrants roaming either to spend their nightlife or adapt the area for residential purposes. Over the period of time, the area grew as a hub of striptease clubs and prostitution – a fact which has largely remained hidden in China Town. In China Town, Prostitution is specially done in relatively secretive manner wherein in Little Italy it is relatively obvious and is done on the professional basis through established striptease clubs and red light houses. Due to this factor, the social cohesion with other cultures and sub-cultures have become relatively explicit however, families residing in the area may not be at ease to leave their children to roam around in the streets. It is also critical to note that this neighborhood has shrunk over the period of time whereas China has rapidly expanded. This contrast between the two localities is mainly due to gentrification process under which Little Italy’s population diluted over the period of time. This factor may also suggest that Italian Americans may have adapted the mainstream culture of the country. One of the classic contrasts between China Town and Little Italy is based upon how both these localities evolved over the period of time. China Town has expanded and became more concentrated with increasingly Chinese population whereas Little Italy’s population shrunk during this period. Most of Italian families have migrated to other areas and are now part of other mainstream localities whereas residents of China Town remained largely limited to themselves. This social exclusion of Chinese people therefore is radically different from American Italians who have allowed other immigrants to live in their localities also while they also preferred to relocate other localities too. It is because of this reason that it has now been argued that new generation of Little Italy is not Italian in its true sense and has largely changed and adapted the new ways of living an American dream. The current generation of Italians seems to be drifting away from their cultural and social roots and is increasingly adapting new ways of living. This seems to be different from residents of China Town who limited themselves up to their own cultural and social groups while not allowing non-Chinese immigrants to settle in their areas. It seems that Italians have formed a social contract 9whereas Chinese still live according to their own cultural and social norms. Overall culture of Little Italy is not Italian in its true sense because it has been influenced by other surrounding cultures also. Despite this fact, Italian Americans in the region tend to maintain their own cultural diversity and identification through different cultural events which take place yearly in the locality. It is also critical to note that Italian food has been adapted to the American norms also and most of Italian food now is being prepared in accordance with the American tastes and preferences. There are many dishes which are typical of Italian American rather than Italian in nature. Conclusion The condition of both the localities as well as how social and cultural interaction takes place in both the places indicates relatively different scenarios. Though Italian are negatively labeled10 as having connections with the Italian Mafia, however, little Italy presents a different picture. China Town is a closely knit locality where rules and social norms have hardly changed over the period of time whereas Little Italy has cohesively merged with the local culture. China Town and its residents have not been able to merge with the local mainstream culture and still present a different picture as compared to Little Italy. Works Cited Chang, Iris. The Chinese in America: A Narrative History. New York: Penguin Books, 2004. Chinn, Thomas W. Bridging the Pacific. New York: Chinese Historical Society of America, 1989. Madanipour, Ali. Public and Private Spaces of the City . London: Routledge, 2003. SF Travel. Little Italy. 2012. 11 June 2012 . Tsui, Bonnie. American Chinatown: A People's History of Five Neighborhoods. New York: Free Press, 2009. Read More