Well, yes. Even the 'natives' who existed when Europeans arrived had supplanted prior generations of natives. The Mississippi Mound Culture, for instance -- their sites were deserted long before Europeans arrived and had no connection to the Creeks and other peoples who had moved into the areas since then.
Pretty sure Thomas Sowell DID write a book on how different immigrant groups interacted with the WASP culture that dominated the US for much of its history, though -- the Irish, Italians, Chinese, etc. There's some assimilation and some cross-cultural change. Chinese food in the US, for instance, is very much a "made in America" story, and a former grumpy choirmaster of mine insists that he doesn't eat Mexican food in the US because it's not REAL Mexican food. Nevermind that it's being cooked by first-gen immigrants and his "Mexican" connection is having a grandfather or something who moved into Cali. (He....was the kind of character no one would take plausibly if they were in a novel, but who nontheless existed IRL!)
If you go back far enough we're pretty much ALL immigrants from somewhere else! [grin]
I'm the child of an immigrant (father) so can have a quite emotional reaction to at least *some* of the anti-immigrant rhetoric we hear SO much of presently.
He is completely right. And you are, as well, Kitten. We are all immigrants. Early life started in Africa, so all our ancestors are from there. Whoever claims theirs were always where they live now should read a bit.
Indeed! *Always* in Britain means different things to different people. I've traced my Mothers ancestors back to Elizabethan times but going back further they'd no doubt be from Europe, before that Central Asia and before that Africa.
That would probably be the same for all of us. I once had an American student who claimed her ancestors were all from the area she came from. I told her that was highly unlikely. She was black, or - as they like to be called - "African-American". ;)
5 comments:
Well, yes. Even the 'natives' who existed when Europeans arrived had supplanted prior generations of natives. The Mississippi Mound Culture, for instance -- their sites were deserted long before Europeans arrived and had no connection to the Creeks and other peoples who had moved into the areas since then.
Pretty sure Thomas Sowell DID write a book on how different immigrant groups interacted with the WASP culture that dominated the US for much of its history, though -- the Irish, Italians, Chinese, etc. There's some assimilation and some cross-cultural change. Chinese food in the US, for instance, is very much a "made in America" story, and a former grumpy choirmaster of mine insists that he doesn't eat Mexican food in the US because it's not REAL Mexican food. Nevermind that it's being cooked by first-gen immigrants and his "Mexican" connection is having a grandfather or something who moved into Cali. (He....was the kind of character no one would take plausibly if they were in a novel, but who nontheless existed IRL!)
If you go back far enough we're pretty much ALL immigrants from somewhere else! [grin]
I'm the child of an immigrant (father) so can have a quite emotional reaction to at least *some* of the anti-immigrant rhetoric we hear SO much of presently.
He is completely right. And you are, as well, Kitten. We are all immigrants. Early life started in Africa, so all our ancestors are from there. Whoever claims theirs were always where they live now should read a bit.
Indeed! *Always* in Britain means different things to different people. I've traced my Mothers ancestors back to Elizabethan times but going back further they'd no doubt be from Europe, before that Central Asia and before that Africa.
That would probably be the same for all of us. I once had an American student who claimed her ancestors were all from the area she came from. I told her that was highly unlikely. She was black, or - as they like to be called - "African-American". ;)
Post a Comment