Assimilation vs Integration

There has been a lot in the media, including the local newspaper recently, suggesting ways to deal with newly arrived immigrants in Sweden. Some advocate integration, others assimilation, while a good number of people are left scratching their heads wondering how the two concepts differ.

In my view, assimilation and integration are two ways in which minorities try to associate with the majority culture in a society. It’s easy to regard assimilation and integration as synonymous. However, there are subtle differences between the two concepts.

Assimilation
Assimilation is a process of absorbing minority communities into the value system of the majority culture in a multicultural society. This absorption takes place in a one-way direction with the majority community requiring the minority communities to give up their own customs and traditions or modify them in favor of those of the majority community.

Integration
On the other hand, integration is a two-way process where there is give and take between the majority and the minority cultures. It allows minorities to retain their identity and values while the majority culture retains theirs. Both parties agree to interact on civic duties as equal partners, working for the well-being of the society in which they live.

My own experience
My own experience puts me on the side of integration. I’ve lived half of my life in the USA and the other half in Sweden. According to my definitions, I am integrated in Sweden, not assimilated. I hold two passports, celebrate the USAs National day and Thanksgiving as well as celebrate Valborg, Sweden's national day, Midsummer and Lucia. I have been active politically in Säffle. When it comes to language, I prefer my mother tongue. But I speak Swedish – very poorly. Ask anyone who knows me.  

I grew up in the 40s and 50s on the eastside of St. Paul, Minnesota. The eastside then was a community consisting of Swedish, Polish, and Italian neighborhoods. Although each ethnic neighborhood had its own shopping area, church, and community activities, they lived peacefully alongside each other.

Because I attended a grade school in the Swedish part of the eastside, it wasn’t until I got to John A. Johnson High School that I got to know kids from the Polish and Italian parts of the eastside. It was then that Anderson and Peterson and Lundstrom and I sat in classrooms, ate lunches and played sports together with people with names such as Anzevino, Ferrozo, Londino, Jasinski, Majewski and Gonsowski.

There were also kids from a lot of other ethnic groups at Johnson – Irish, Norwegian, Greek, Jewish, Danish, Chinese and Mexican. And we all were hyphenated Americans. I was a Swedish-American. Others were Polish-American, Danish-American, etc. In spite of Swedes, Italians, and Poles dominating, the eastside was truly a multicultural mixture.

Johnson won the Minnesota high school hockey championships in 1947, 1953, 1955 and 1963. The players on these teams had the same ethnic background as the school in general. They were a multicultural collection of hard skating, victory hungry kids. They worked as a team without being conscious of any ethnic or cultural differences. The coaches were Reuben Gustafson and Louie Cotroneo. And the teams they coached won. Teamwork requires integration.

Someone else eloquently put it another way: “Integration is like a watch. A watch has small components inside. Each component by itself cannot be called a watch, although they may function individually. However, when all the components are arranged in an orderly fashion the watch works perfectly.”

The Alsace wine route

Rows of grapevines as far as the eye can see advancing up towards the mountain forests. Ruins of proud castles from the Middle Ages. Villages surrounded by ramparts. Flower decked streets. Hospitable inns. Joyful wine cellars. Baroque wrought-iron signs. Roman churches and fountains. And last but not least, excellent food and wine.

Those are just some of the unforgettable memories you’ll have after having traveled the Alsace wine route, which winds its way along the eastern foothills of the Vosges, for 170 km, between one gateway at Thann and the other at Marlenheim.

No visit to Alsace is complete without seeing Strasbourg (the capitol) and Colmar. But the true charm lies in the many small towns lining the picturesque Wine Route. A minimum of three days offers the real flavor of the region, its wine and food. Travel by car or on two wheels from town to town at your own pace, parking to explore the small streets lined with quaint homes, restaurants and shops.

Another peaceful and invigorating way to experience the vineyards is to hike or bike on the 20 or more trails that crisscross the region. Marked by numerous information points, each vineyard trail sets out to explain the work of the wine grower, the art of the Alsace wine and the difference between the grape varieties.

Of the seven grapes varieties used for production of wine in Alsace, Pinot Gris, Muscat, Gewurztraminer and Riesling, four are known as noble grapes. Each has its own characteristic.

The Pinot Gris grape produces a full flavored wine that is slightly higher in alcohol content. The Muscat grape produces a sweet, but dry wine. The Gewurztraminer grape also produces a sweet wine, but with a hint of fruity spices. Finally, the most popular is the Riesling grape, which Alsatians take the most pride in producing. The other types of grapes from the region include Pinot Noir (for red and rosé wine), Sylvaner (for house or table wine) and Pinot Blanc (used to make a sparkling wine called the Crémant d'Alsace.

The region is divided into a northern and southern section known as Bas Rhin and Haut Rhine. True wine connoisseurs feel that the wines in the south (Bas Rhin) are the best.  Wine can be sampled in winstuben (wine taverns) in almost every town of the region.

While Alsace is famous for wine, you will also find excellent beer there. Kronenbourg, one of the most popular beers in Europe, is brewed in the region.

Alsace is also a well-known gastronomic region. Main dishes feature pork, chicken and trout, and as might be expected many of them are served with a sauce made from the local wine. Another popular specialty is sausage and choucroute (sauerkraut). Flavorful Munster cheese is a specialty of Alsace, and the region leads France in the production of pâté, with over 50 varieties from the area.

There are over 90 small towns along the AlsaceWine Route, and though most are charming, there are those that have a little extra to offer.

Barr. Castles high on a hill, 17th &18th Century buildings, access to hiking trails, and a Wine Fair in mid July and Harvest Festival the first Sunday of October.

Andlau. Surrounded by three Grand Cru vineyards, it features a Roman Abbey church from the 17th C, easy 2-3 hour hikes to nearby castle ruins, and a Wine fair the first weekend of August.

Dambach-la-Ville. Medieval ramparts, a Roman Gothic church, an easy 2 hour hike to castle ruins, a Grand cru vineyard trail, and a Wine Fair on August 14th and 15th.

Kintzheim. A Medieval castle, many historic fountains “Eagle Aviary”and Monkey Mountain on the way to the Haut Koenigsbourg Castle.

Bergheim- Medieval fortifications with round towers, a Gothic 14th Century church, a small local history museum, and access to vineyard trails.

Ribeauvillé. a very popular tourist town, it is dominated by three castles and surrounded by three Grand Cru vineyards. It also has churches dating to 13th Century, a jewelry museum, a renaissance fountain, and old towers with stork nests.

Riquewihr. The most popular town on the Wine Route is a well-preserved, self contained Medieval / Renaissance city.  Many buildings date back to the 12th Century. There is a stagecoach and postal museum, a Grand Cru vineyard trail, and Reichenstein castle ruins are a 15-minute hike away.

Kayserberg. The birthplace of Dr. Albert Schweitzer has a small museum dedicated to him. There is a river bisecting the town near the 13th C. castle ruins that is crossed by a fortified bridge from 1514. The rest of the town is filled with beautiful Medieval and Renaissance buildings. Known for its Christmas Market.

Turckheim. Reminiscent remains of three rampart gates, a Church dating to the 12th century, vineyard trail for views over the town, and town criers in the summer at 10:00 PM. Wine fair in late July.

Eguisheim- This Medieval city was built in 3 concentric circles around its castle and features historic half-timbered houses, balconies, oriel windows, and pointed gables. Guided visits of vineyard trails are available from the Tourist Office.  A Wine festival is held on the 4th weekend in August.

Haut Koenigsbourg Castle. It is not a town but it is well worth a visit. Built in the 12th century to serve as the residence of several members of the Habsburg dynasty and the German emperor Wilhelm II, the Haut Koenigsbourg Castle is a top sightseeing attraction in Alsace. A great place for the entire family, Medieval times come alive when kids let their imaginations run wild with knights in shining armor. Adults love the views to Switzerland and Germany.

What the hell. Give it a whirl.

A lot of what anyone winds up doing throughout life happens by chance. If someone had asked me when I was 20 or so years old if I would live more than half of my life in Sweden, I probably would have shrugged my shoulders and said, “Who knows. But the possibility is remote.” But here I am.

If at the same time someone had asked me if I could earn a living by applying my writing skills, I would have replied, “Perhaps”. But in my junior year at Gustavus Adolphus College, Milt Gustafson, the retiring sports editor convinced me that I could take over his position and successfully edit the sport page of the Gustavus Weekly. I had serious doubts, but said, “What the hell, I’ll give it a whirl.”

The following year, Janice Larson persuaded me to edit the newspaper. Again I said, “What the hell, I’ll give it a whirl.” Both editing tasks involved a whole lot of prestige for me to either gain or lose as the Weekly for many years in a row had been awarded All America honors for newspapers from colleges the size of Gustavus Adolphus. Needless to say, I succeeded or I wouldn’t have the courage to relate this information now.

Journalism school

Chuck full of confidence, I applied for admission to the Columbia School of Journalism. George Grim, a long-time columnist for the Minneapolis Tribune, conducted my admission interview. After writing a time-limited essay, which took me a lot more time than he allotted me, he correctly appraised my ability to compose a story pronto as lacking. As he put it, “David lacks facility.”

Undaunted, I applied to the next best school and was admitted to the University of Missouri School of Journalism in Columbia, Missouri. As W.C. Fields once said, “I spent year in Lompoc one week.” Replace Lompoc with Columbia and you’ll get the idea. This was a “whirl” I didn’t care much about. So “what the hell,” I got out my thumb and returned to Minnesota only to be faced with military conscription.

This was during the autumn of 1961, when JFK called me and thousands of other 21-year olds to defend Berlin against the building of the wall. I flunked the military physical induction examination, and JFK didn’t stop the wall, but I must admit he didn’t do it because I wasn’t in Berlin to tell the Russians to go home.

Recruiting students

What to do? Hooks Holcomb to the rescue. Hooks was the Admissions Director at Gustavus Adolphus and he offered me a job recruiting students to the college. Why? Don’t ask me. But, “What the hell, I’ll give it a whirl.”

Two years at Gustavus were followed by a seven year teaching career as a high school teacher in a St. Paul, Minnesota suburb, at the University of Minnesota High School and the University of Minnesota General College.

During 1968 I turned 30 years old. Just in case you don’t remember that year, I can remind you that it was full of protest and turmoil, and without too much exaggeration a pivotal year in the western world. Young people exerted themselves and as they said then, “If you’re over 30, you’re irrelevant.” I was employed at a university and daily reminded that in terms of my age I was on the cusp.

Consultant

So, following a tip from a colleague, I found work at a consulting agency in St. Paul. This job involved a lot of writing that didn’t require a lot of Grim George’s facility. In other words, I could take my sweet time doing it and found out to my satisfaction that I could do it.

This job took me to another consulting agency, again as the result of a tip, in San Francisco where I wrote analyses of various federal health and welfare systems. A great job, but after a year Richard Nixon’s trouble virtually shutdown government and anything that had anything to do with it. The consequence his trouble put me out on the street for the first time in my life. I had fallen off the rails, so to speak.

I liked San Francisco, so I decided to stay on. “What the hell, I’ll give it a whirl.” I had no idea what I’d do if I returned to Minnesota. But what would I do in San Francisco? Affirmative Action was rampant in the early seventies. A teaching job in the Bay Area for me, a card carrying WASP, wasn’t even a consideration. So I painted houses for five years and liked doing it. It was physical work that I could pursue on my own terms.

A long-legged blond-haired Swede

Then one day a long-legged blond Swede turned up in my life, obviously by chance. But that’s another story.

When I showed my one-way ticket to the agent at the gate at San Francisco International, he couldn’t believe what he saw. “What the hell, I’ll give it a whirl.” was my answer when he asked me if I really knew what I was doing. Now I’ve lived more than half of my life here and I’ve enjoyed every moment of it.

Again, I was faced with the question what to do here in Sweden. Again chance kicked in. I was asked to teach English and even Chinese cooking in evening schools. And I translated. One day Stig Anderson, the Marketing boss at Electrolux Constructor in Säffle, asked me if I’d like to write a customer magazine. And at about the same time, Leif Friberg, the Publicity boss at Billerud, asked me the same question. “What the hell, I’ll give it a whirl.” Now I’m retired but still writing professionally.

Based on my experience, my advice for young people pursuing careers would include the following: Look around you. Notice what’s happening. Assess your skills. Build on them. Do what makes you happy. Recognize opportunity when it pops up in front of you. Listen to people you respect and can help you with whatever you’re pursuing. Take chances. Live with failure. Work for success. Deal with chance. Don’t ever count it short. And then! Give it a whirl. What the hell.

John Lennon

To end where I started, chance plays an important part in the lives of most of us. John Lennon, in all of his wisdom, put it this way: “Life is what’s happening to you while you’re busy making other plans.” Chance is important. But when mixed with a good measure of chutzpah or in other words, audacity, impudence and self-confidence, it becomes relevant. “What the hell, I’ll give it a whirl.”