The Role of Residential Segregation in the Assimilation Process

Abstract

The assimilation process and the fact of residential segregation are both major emphases in the literature on race and ethnic relations. For a variety of reasons, however, the tendency has been to neglect their relation to one another. This paper offers an explicit connection between the two. We offer an elaboration of the notion of assimilation and suggest that it can be viewed as a sequential process, beginning with the cultural dimension, proceeding with the socioeconomic, and ending with the structural. Furthermore, we contend that the residential segregation of racial/ethnic groups has important consequences for the assimilation process at every juncture.