Future Australians : immigrant children in Perth, Western Australia

Abstract

No immigrant of any age finds easy the process of assimilation to a new homeland. The children of immigrants face the same problems as their parents: the often conflicting forces of the cultures of their adopted land and of their native land, but for the children the conflict is greater. Often they wish to become fully assimilated, but their parents insist on their ethnic culture being maintained. Dr Johnston studied three ethnic groups in Perth- Polish, German, and British, with an Australian control group- to see how the immigrant children reacted to these conflicting cultural values. Her findings make revealing reading, not only on the degree of assimilation of each group but also on the reactions of Australian parents and children to the immigrants and the way in which the Australian community has been changed by the newcomers. This book disproves some widely held assumptions and throws new light on many aspects of assimilation. Of value to sociologists, psychologists, and linguists, it is nevertheless written for the immigrants themselves and for all concerned with a society in the making. Show more