Cultural and Societal Integration as an Immigrant

Welcome! This platform is meant to serve as a way to learn more about the cultural and societal integration processes as an immigrant. The cultural and societal integration process of immigrants are just two of several experiences that shape how well they integrate to a new country. The goal of this website is to highlight the defining experiences of immigrants, and how these experiences shape their success with integration. Immigration is a topic that is talked about amongst various settings, from households to social media to policymakers. However, sometimes the deeper aspects of the immigration can be overlooked, such as adjusting to a new culture, finding a community, or a stable job and home. On top of all these things immigrants may be trying to learn the language of a new country as well. This website will go through some of the major aspects of immigration: arrival to a country, adjustment to every day life, cultural integration, and finding a sense of community and belonging. 

My interest in immigration was sparked by previous research I had done on the topic that was drawn from an archive called the First Days Project. The First Days Project is an archive that holds the stories and experiences of immigrants’ first days and months in America. Coming in to my research, I had a general interest in immigration. However, as I began reading through various stories, I found myself becoming increasingly more interested in the details of the immigration process, particularly how each individual adjusted to the culture and lifestyle of a different country. Each person’s story was so unique and real, and unlike anything I had experienced in my own life. I was captivated by how each person learned to adjust to a new way of living and the experiences that helped or hindered them from doing so. As a result of this, I decided to research more about the integration process as an immigrant. I found a scholarly article written by Berit Overå Johannesen and Lily Appoh called Stories Told. It summarizes the research the authors have done on African immigrants to Norway and how their experiences with immigration affected their ability to integrate into Norwegian society and culture.  The author’s research is derived from the interviews of eight families who have been living in Norway for five to ten years. Researching from this article allowed me to learn about the adjustment process of immigrants in daily life in the form of finding a job, owning a home, adjusting to culture, and more. It was fascinating to see how the various experiences and interactions that the families had played such a large role in their ability to integrate. This article further grew my interest in the immigration process, and added depth to my knowledge about it by showing how it presents itself in different areas of life. After researching from this article, I was left wondering, “What are the defining experiences of the immigration process?” and “How do these experiences affect how well immigrants are able to integrate into a new society and culture?”. This brings me to this website, which showcases my research about some of the defining experiences of the immigration process and their effect on integration. My research is drawn from the accounts of immigrants living in America, and covers topics such as culture shock, settling into America, and finding community. I included quotes in my research to add reality to each topic. I’ve found that while researching on an experience such as immigration, being able to read or hear the words of someone who has experienced puts what they are talking about into perspective. It also increases my appreciation for the experiences that they’re talking about despite never experiencing it myself. Therefore, my research is meant to not only shed light on the defining experiences of the immigration process but also help those who come across my research gain a greater appreciation for the process of successfully immigrating and integrating to a new country and society.