European immigration and ethnicity — some considerations relating to South Africa

Abstract

Abstract South Africa provides a rich field, up to now relatively unexplored, for studies of immigrant absorption. One special aspect of such studies concerns social and cultural assimilation, and the place of ethnic minorities within the general structure of European society in this country. In recent years many overseas works on immigration have stressed the themes of social and cultural pluralism. While these related overseas studies have accordingly stressed the preservation of ethnic characteristics of immigrant minority groups, a comparable approach in this country must consider a number of local factors. Apart from the multi-racial and multicultural wider setting there is the more immediate context of the European population subdivided into the Afrikaans and English groups. Similarly the historical, political and economic backgrounds, especially since 1910, must be considered. On the basis of a wealth of overseas studies a conceptual framework needs to be constructed and duly applied to circumstanc...