Immigration, Race and Ethnic Relations - Essay Example

Immigration, Race and Ethnic Relations Abstract The present paper looks for estimating the reasons and impact of fast growing immigration generally from the third world and comparatively backward states to the rich, affluent and developed countries of the world. It has not only brought imperative demographical alterations in the emigrant states, but has also left indelible impacts on social, cultural, political and economic activities of the indigenous populations. The state of multiculturalism in the aftermath of the establishment of multiracial and multi-ethnic societies is one of the most challenging problems faced by the prosperous nations of contemporary times, which is not only responsible for devouring the resources of the emigrant countries, but also the presence of the individuals belonging to divergent ethno-racial groups have paved the way towards the creation of adverse law and order situation by putting the very peace and harmony of these societies into grave jeopardy. The present paper concentrates upon the positive and negative effects of immigration with particular focus on the challenges of racism and ethnocentrism in the emigrant countries. The Paper The contemporary era has aptly been defined to be the era of technological advancement, which has revolutionized every aspect of individual and collective human life. Communication has particularly witnessed tremendous boost in the wake of technological revolution, resulting into the abridging of long and exhausting distances and turning the world into global village. Consequently, it has become very comfortable for the people to travel wide for superior job, education, business and health prospects from the poor Asian, African and Far East countries to the USA, Canada, Australia and central Europe in order to lead a happy, prosperous and high quality life by becoming permanent residents of these countries after obtaining citizenship and immigrant status at there. It has given birth to the idea of immigration, which simply refers to the change in one’s residential status on permanent basis. Immigration also involves, according to Goldscheider, the detachment from the organization of activities at one place and the movement of the total round of activities to another (1971: 64). Although people belonging to all age-groups, educational scales and both the genders migrate from their native land, yet the youth could be stated as the most dynamic one in respect of proceeding to the foreign lands for good. According to the statistics gathered by the Government of Alberta (2006), over 51% population of the migrants belongs to the individuals of age group from 25 to 54 years, while over two third of the immigrants belong to the age 25 to 65 years. Hence, the people associated with different professions and active in their occupational life maintain the tendencies to migrate to the foreign countries. The percentage is almost one and the same for both the gender groups, though males observe slight edge in respect of migration. The researches reveal the very fact that financial motives are the most important ones in respect of the peoples’ strife to move from one region to the other. It is therefore, the young individuals are considered having high migration rate in comparison to the middle aged and elderly (Macionis, 2007: 371). It is partly true to the great extent that the third world has been undergoing the problems of unemployment, poverty, lawlessness, socioeconomic discrimination, unequal distribution of wealth, resources and opportunities, and the problem of over population. Lack of proper resources and dismal chances of improvement in the economic stability of their countries, the people from poor states set out to the yonder lands in search of pelf, possession and employment in he same lines as the man during the Paleolithic and Neolithic times used to wander from place to place in search of food, shelter and protection. Although unmarried or single persons are thought to be having high rate of migration, Weeks (2002:205) refutes the very idea by stating that marital status or civil relationships do not have any negative influence upon the migration trends. Consequently, the individuals from 24 to 45 years of age proceed abroad to get settled there on permanent basis either alone or with family members. Weeks is of the opinion that search for appropriate job and employment perspectives are the most vital ones in respect of urging the individual to proceed to the regions having vast labor market and offering superior work opportunities subsequently. Moreover, since the USA and Europe are the center of business, trade and commerce, millions of large and small firms and companies have established their corporate set-ups, which hire the personnel from all corners of the globe against different posts and positions within the occupational hierarchy. Such corporate traits and traditions appear to be attractive and fascinating to the educated and skilled people of the third world, and they consider the job offer from the overseas as lottery that could invite progress and prosperity in their personal and professional life at large. On the one side the unemployed Asian and African citizens found vast employment opportunities and superior life style on obtaining immigrant status, and one the other side, the developed countries sought the support and services of highly skilled and well educated professionals against low salaries and benefits for their governmental, non-governmental and private sectors. A very important factor behind the European countries behind offering the Asian and African citizens the employment and immigration opportunities includes the low fertility rate in the entire region. Moreover, since life expectancy rate is very high in industrialized countries, including Germany, France, Denmark, UK and others, a significant proportion of the total population of these states consists of non-productive people. As a result, they look for active and skilled members from the foreign countries for the continuity of their political dominance and economic stability over the globe at large. Hence, ageing and low fertility rates in industrialized countries have resulted in a substantial decline in replacement workers entering the workforce, while also creating greater demand for service-sector jobs and low-skill employment. Hence, the Europe and USA offered their immigration visa policies in the best interests of their nations. Thus, the notion outsourcing is also viewed the product of immigration, as it turns out to be vehemently supportive in respect of connecting the organizations and professionals from the remote areas and pole-apart zones with one another. Another imperative factor behind immigration is the poor judicial system as well as abject law & order situation in the entire third world. The governmental institutions and law enforcing agencies appear to be harsh and cruel towards the poor subjects, and maliciously support the powerful and wealthy stratum of society, which creates anarchical state of affairs in the third world countries. Consequently, absence of justice and unavailability of enjoying self-respect on the golden principles of equality and impartiality force the people to move to the state that could ensure the protection of their life and honor. In addition, religious factors also have imperative place in the migration phenomenon. It has aptly been observed that the communities have been at daggers drawn against one another in the sacred name of religion, where the powerful people have inflicted atrocities of different kinds on their rivals. History also shows that all notable Holy Prophets of God had to migrate from their native lands because of the cruelties and strong opposition of the infidels had been in majority everywhere. The Jews, Christians and Muslims have also been the victim of religious intolerance, which compelled them to leave their motherland for good. In addition, Jesuits, Buddhists and followers of other faiths also migrated from their motherlands in order to save their skins from the awkward clutches of the fanatics. Education is argued to be another dominant factor that encourages migration to a great extent. The students from Far East, the Middle East, Africa and South Asia visit the magnificent and reputed educational institutions of the USA, UK, Australia, Germany and France in order to seek high quality education from there. Since the bewitching and luxurious lifestyle of Europe and America is enough to captivate the attention of the students from the third world, and charms of these societies dazzle their eyes, they prefer to settle down in these countries for good instead of returning to their motherlands after completing their education. Thus, they get affiliated with some organization or start some labor or job in the developed country, where they had once arrived with the objective of obtaining professional qualifications. Gradually, they obtain the status of immigrant and even citizen too, and become the part of the mainstream population through acculturation. Health is also an imperative issue to be discussed from the immigration viewpoint. Sometimes, it so happens that the people from the developing regions are unable to obtain appropriate treatment of some fatal disease, against which the medical institutions and health centers are unable to provide any remedy. Consequently, they look for the better medical facilities for their complete convalescence, and thus make one of the developed countries as their permanent abode. Moreover, the children of some of the sick elderly have got settled in the rich states, who invite their parents too in these countries, so that they can live with them in a peaceful, hygienic and congenial environment. The inclusion of the outsiders in the big societies is undoubtedly beneficial and fruitful for the multinational companies; in addition, it is equally productive for the improvement of the economy of the emigrant state as well. Nevertheless, the emigrant countries have to undergo several grave challenges because of the insertion of outsiders belonging to other racial groups in their countries. One of the most problematic challenges faced by the people belonging to emigrant country is the imminent state of conflict between the races. Since the indigenous population considers itself as superior one in respect of race, ethnicity and economic stability, an overwhelming majority of them look down upon the outsiders by viewing them as belonging to the poor, downtrodden and inferior cultures of the globe, which would become an undue burden on their economy. Consequently, they refuse to offer them the status equivalent to them at social, political and cultural scales. On the other hand, the immigrants consider them as skilled and competent professionals, which are adding their certain share in the progress and prosperity of the emigrant country by rendering their services in various fields of life; it is therefore, they look for a respectable place in society against their competencies and services. However, clash of interests invites serious conflicts, where the law enforcing agencies also indirectly support the majority population of emigrants, which paves the way to chaos and anarchical situation eventually. The famous London riots of August 2011 are the case in point demonstrating the happening of racial conflicts in the recent past, which cost six precious lives along with putting the peace of the London city and its suburban areas at stake. It was actually the conflict of the interests of the white and black citizen of the UK that started with the killing of a black youth at the hands of the police personnel, but rioting spread throughout London from 8th August in the afternoon onwards and into the early hours of Tuesday morning. Police struggled to cope with multiple outbreaks of looting as well as sustained violence in several places, most notably on an estate in Hackney (The Guardian, 2011), resulting into the looting of shopping centers, plazas and even residences creating harassment and violence particularly in the western parts of the cosmopolitan city. London riots are mere one single example of ethno-racial crises taken place in a multicultural society. On the other hand, the black and white races have been at daggers drawn in the USA and other parts of the American continent because of racial hatred and apartheid. The white Anglo Saxon population (WASP) particularly considers the African Americans as the descendants of their slaves; it is therefore, they are most suitable for serving the whites instead of demanding equal rights for them. However, the black human rights activists, writers and poets, including Martin Luther, Rosa Parks, Malcolm X, Margaret Drabble and several others had to make hard struggle in order to set the blacks free from the domination of the white population. The white population also regards the blacks as involved in criminal activities and assaults; it is therefore, they should not be grant the rights and privileges equivalent to the local population. Somehow, the gulf between the two major races has witnessed significant decline with the passage of time, and both these groups are working shoulder to shoulder in the nation building programs. The ethno-racial clashes in multinational societies are not confined to the whites and blacks only; on the contrary, the Indians, Arabs, Chinese and Hispanic also enter into fierce clashes against one another in different parts of the world. However, being organized and law abiding societies, the strong judicial system and powerful law enforcing agencies overcome such problems in a highly tactful manner. Another dominant factor behind the unchecked immigration process includes the evident joblessness of the local population. Dustmann et al. (2005) are of the view that since the work force from the third world countries could be hired at comparatively low rates, their inclusion in the population may leave negative effects on wages and employment outcomes of native workers, which invites grave concerns in the public debate on immigration. Economic theory is well suited to help understand the possible consequences of immigration for receiving economies, and the theoretical aspects of the possible effects of immigration for the receiving economies of the labor markets are well understood. Unchecked and unrestrained immigration has also created the problems of transportation, housing, employments and other public benefits for the local populations. Crime rate has also observed an upward trend in these areas, where the presence of several racial groups makes it hard for the police to trace and arrest the culprits. Somehow, since Australia, Canada and the USA have vast territorial areas, they have successfully managed the problem. However, the UK is undergoing the problem of overpopulation in big cities including London, Edinburgh and Manchester. Somehow, the investment of time and money made by the outsiders has increased the economic prosperity of the country. To conclude, migration is a universal phenomenon, which has embraced the people belonging to every country and state of the globe in its vast fold. A large majority of the world people is either immigrant or emigrant, and is directly or indirectly affiliated with more than one countries or nations because of their professional activities and earning methodology. The arrival of the skilled and hardworking people turns out to be beneficial for the progress and prosperity of the emigrant country; however, inclusion of unskilled, incompetent, uneducated and sluggish people serves as unpleasant burden on the society and economy of the developed emigrant nations. In the same way, departure of talented and highly educated people creates brain-drain for the immigrant country, and it is deprived of the quality population. As a result, it progress reverses to a sorry state of affairs, because of the very reality that its quality population is rendering services for some other country of the world. Nevertheless, it is actually the fault of the developing countries, which keep the population deprived of equal opportunities of growth and developments by observing class discrimination, favoritism, nepotism and injustices on the poor subjects, which have no alternative other than leaving the country for good. References Dustmann, Christian, Fabbri, Francesca & Preston, Ian (2005) The Impact of Immigration on the British Labor Market the Economic Journal, 115 (November), F324–F341. Royal Economic Society Blackwell Publishing, Oxford. Goldscheider, Calvin (1971) Population, Modernization and Social Structure Little, Brown, Boston Macionis, John J. (2007) Sociology Eleventh edition Pearson Prentice Hall Weeks, John R. (2002) Population: An Introduction to Concepts and Issues Seventh Edition Wadsworth Publishing California Maryland Catholic Conference (2008) The Root Causes of Migration Available at http://www.mdcathcon.org/library/resources/documents/immigration/rootcauses-immsupplement.pdf The Guardian London and UK riots day three aftermath – Tuesday 9 August 2011s Available at http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/blog/2011/aug/09/london-riots-violence-looting-live Government of Alberta (2006) Distribution of the Immigrant Population by Age and Sex, Alberta Office of Statistics and Information Available at https://osi.alberta.ca/osi-content/Pages/Factsheets/DistributionoftheImmigrantPopulationbyAgeandSex,Alberta.aspx Read More