Immigration is an extremely large aspect of intercultural communication, as it forces cultures to intertwine in a specific space, often a city. However, arrival as an immigrant is often a nerve-racking experience that is met with confusion, stress and a sense of loss. When approaching a new country, it can be difficult to feel welcomed, as your past community is no longer with you. That being said, there may be a community of people of the same heritage where you can feel a greater sense of belonging. This allows connections to be created among people of similar descent and helps to ease in immigrants upon arrival. Regardless, arrival can be a difficult and stressful transition for immigrants. Sam Selvon’s The Lonely Londoner and Sarah C. Bishop’s analysis on the United States guide, Welcome to the United States: A Guide for New Immigrants, provides a look into the treatment of immigrants upon landing.
Selvon’s book is a terrific description of arrival into a new country. Moses Aloetta, an experienced London immigrant and Trinidad emigrant, helps direct new arrivals from various Caribbean countries, referred to as the West Indies, to homes and workplaces. The book begins by explaining his role as a transition agent; this was never a role he explicitly signed up for, but it fell onto him all the same. When Moses began to help people, word spread and London immigrants were told to meet up with him. Although Moses complained about this position he had obtained, it, in a sense, fits him because of his recent homesickness and his longing to return to his home country of Trinidad. Each of these new arrivals, especially those directly from Trinidad, bring with them a piece of “home,” if you can call it that for Moses, who has lived in London for around 10 years.
Arrival is described explicitly in the beginning of the novel, with various references throughout the book. It starts by describing the most recent arrival from Trinidad, Henry Oliver, who meets up with Moses in Waterloo Station. Moses explains how the station “is a place of arrival and departure…[where] fellars who in Brit’n long…like to see the familiar faces…like to watch their countrymen coming off the train (Selvon, 1956, pg. 4). Although Moses does not come here solely for this reason, he recognizes the significance of the place, as this is where he arrived in London. It is a destination symbolizing new beginnings while also simultaneously reflecting an end to a past life. The immigrant’s transition into a new life begins here.
Arrival is a sensitive subject for native British residents, as West Indian arrivals increase by the day. Many people are discontent, even angry, by the waves coming in and this plays a large role in the ability for immigrants to obtain a job. People from other countries generally come to London in hopes that they can receive better wages; instead, some people find themselves working harder and for less money than native white people. This makes it difficult for these immigrants because of the discrimination in which they face from the natives. Even those with money, such as Moses’ Jamaican friend Tolroy, may stress out about various financial aspects of their lives. Tolroy’s entire family came in from Jamaica, meaning that he has to find a place for them to live while simultaneously contributing to the family financially. Regardless of economic class, however, all West Indian emigrants face racism.
The discrimination that immigrants face is a worldwide problem, which can be seen through the guide created by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and the United States Department of Education. This guide gives vague and subjective advice for life in the United States as an immigrant in only 103 pages. In 2010, there were approximately 40 million immigrants living in the United States. Despite this large number, the United States treats many of them as ignorant of life and culture here upon arrival. One piece of guidance the booklet gives is as follows: “‘if you or other family members are not able to watch your children, you need to find someone to take care of them. Do not leave young children at home alone (p. 62)’” (Bishop, 2013, para. 17). Although the creators may have had good intentions, this gives off the impression that immigrants are irresponsible humans and in need of parental guidance. The guide furthers this impression through the use of threats regarding their residential status should any immigrant behave poorly while in the United States.
Additionally, immigrants are often generalized and stereotyped. When West Indian emigrants arrived in London in The Lonely Londoner, British residents placed them all under a category labeled Jamaican, regardless of where they actually come from. This stereotype stripped people of their culture and heritage. Additionally, the British received information about West Indians in the newspaper and other media sources. These sources sometimes feed lies or spread generalizations, such as the belief that all “West Indians think that the streets of London paved with gold” (Selvon, 1956, pg. 2). These generalizations translate to today’s treatment of immigrants. There is only one US guidebook for all immigrants regardless of their heritage or background (Bishop, 2013, para. 3). This puts everyone into one group despite cultures and experiences differing from person to person.
With all of this being said, arguably the most important aspect of arrival is the confusion and culture shock that comes with immigration. In regards to West Indian emigrants in Selvon’s book, most people already spoke English, especially those who refer to England as the motherland. However, “a 1992 study of immigrants in the United States showed that individuals expected to acculturate most effectively because of similarities between their home and host cultures actually ‘underwent the most intense culture shock during the transition period’” (Bishop, 2013, para. 4). Additionally, even countries who may be considered comparable often have cultures that are quite different. London is extremely different culturally than the Caribbean islands. Henry Oliver came into London with a confident demeanor and an over-confident mindset. He initially acted as if he was not in need of any help from Moses; this is not uncommon, as Moses explained how some immigrants he has helped out in the past “give you the impression that they hep, that they on the ball, that nobody could tie them up” (Selvon, 1956, pg. 19). Oliver insisted on going off on his own to find work the first day he was there; Moses let him, despite actually following him from a distance. This turned out to be smart because as soon as Oliver left Moses, loneliness, confusion and fear washed over him. He was no longer sure where he was, or even how to get back to Moses. He was in unfamiliar territory and did not know how to ask for help, as everyone around him was a stranger and he knew so little about his new home. Thankfully, experienced Londoner Moses was there to rejoin him and direct him in the right place.
Immigrants are often expected by their new home’s residents and governments to begin to adopt their cultures. This is especially difficult for new immigrants, as they have not yet been exposed to the country and culture for long. Bishop addresses a 1988 work in her analysis, which “proposed an integrative theory of communication and cross-cultural adaptation asserting that during the process of assimilation to a new culture individuals experience both deculturation, or, the unlearning of one’s previous culture, and acculturation, or, the process of adopting the behaviors and attitudes of a new host culture” (2013, para. 5). Of course, the range from which this happens varies, as many people refuse to adopt certain aspects of a new country's culture. However, most people do fall somewhere on this spectrum and become transnational and reflect a hybridity of nations.
Cultural differences and assimilation can be especially difficult for involuntary immigrants. A large problem with the United States handbook for immigrants is its ingrained belief that all immigrants choose to live there. Immigrants that involuntarily have to leave their country face the same discrimination, if not more, that voluntary immigrants face while also dealing with leaving a home they were not expecting to leave. This can be due to many reasons, such as warfare and political regimes; regardless of reason, involuntary immigrants are generally not prepared to enter a new country. It is even more difficult when people come in with little financial support and have no means for economic stability.
Immigrants’ arrival is dependent on the country in which they come to and the situation in which they leave behind; it cannot be generalized among all people. Although many of the people in The Lonely Londoners were allowed relatively easy entry into England because of their home nations being under English control, many people struggle with documentation and obtaining the necessary visas for immigration. This stressful process is a whole topic in itself; the intercultural communication between native residents and immigrants upon physically entering a new country is another complicated affair. Many people are accepting of immigrants and open their arms up to them, especially in certain circumstances (such as that of the current Ukrainian-Russian conflict). However, just as many people direct hatred and discrimination towards immigrants the moment they step foot in their home country, regardless of situation.
Selvon’s book depicts some of the experiences that West Indian emigrants had upon entry into London. It can be a difficult process to learn the ropes of cultural assimilation while retaining your past culture. While Moses did have a group he was comfortable with and helped him to retain parts of his past identity, not every immigrant has this opportunity. Guidebooks like that of the United States can make assimilation difficult, as generalizations and vague advice do not help people to the extent in which they need. Dialogue between people is much more helpful when entering a new country; however, this is not always possible because of language barriers. For all of the reasons listed, intercultural communication regarding immigrant arrival is a lengthy and difficult subject because of the variance in each individual’s experience. Regardless, it is necessary and helps us to obtain a worldwide view and understanding of each other.
References
Bishop, S. C. (2013). Welcome Home: Examining Power and Representation in the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services’ Guide for New Immigrants. Journal of Intercultural Communication Research, 42:2, 155-171, DOI: 10.1080/17475759.2012.756423
Selvon, S. (2006). In The Lonely Londoner (pp. 1–26). essay, Penguin Books.
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