Focus on ethnicity at Seton Hall panel (12/31/78)

Focus on ethnicity at Seton Hall panel

by Dora Rak

SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. - The New Jersey Historical Society sponsored a symposium on ethnicity at Seton Hall University in South Orange on December 9.

After welcoming remarks by Dr. Robert T. Conley, president of the university, Dr. Clifford Lord, president of the historical society, outlined in a short introductory speech the society's growing interest in ethnicity and the changing trends in the approach to this social phenomenon. He reviewed the difference between the status of the first immigrants, who were mostly uneducated and without skills, and the present cultural, political and social strengths of the ethnic groups which are gaining proper recognition.

The program for the day consisted of panels dealing with family, education, cultural pluralism and interaction of ethnic groups.

The ideological frame for this variety of topics on ethnicity was developed by Irving M. Levine, director of the Institute on Pluralism and Group Identity, who was the keynote speaker at the conference. He analyzed the questions of ethnic nationalism and pluralism, the historic and political aspects of ethnicity, the psychological and cultural influence of ethnicity on the preservation of group identity and the revival of the "submerged identity." He referred to such connected areas as affirmative action programs for minorities, bilingualism for Hispanics, "WASPism," and the emigration policy in general.

The panelists, most of them professional educators from colleges in the area, were in agreement that the definitions of ethnicity and cultural pluralism are confusing as they can be understood and interpreted in many ways. All concurred that the theory of the melting pot has been rejected and replaced by the phenomenon called cultural pluralism as opposed to monoculturalism. They emphasized the importance of the family as a belating factor in the process of assimilation, although some noted that the traditional family, as a "mythical entity," might change as new forms are emerging and gaining social acceptance, such as a single parent family.

The three members of the panel on education found that public schools have a tendency to disconnect students from ethnicity. Dr. Vitaut Kipel, chairman of the N.J. Ethnic Advisory Council, expressed his special concern in this regard, noting that schools often destroy the child's ethnic identity by changing pronunciation of pupil's names. He commended that proper information on ethnicity and ethnic groups in the particular area should be included in books, and the teaching of ethnicity encouraged.

In New Jersey the basic information on ethnic groups is contained in recent publications: "The New Jersey Ethnic Experience" and "Ethnic Directory of New Jersey."

The education system needs some changes, and as Dr. Judy Miller, director of black studies at Seton Hall, said, the time has come to go back to teach humanities in order to prepare children to enter society.

The central theme of the conference was the cultural pluralism to which all speakers referred. Since the rejection of the melting pot concept, said Dr. Thaddeus Gromada, professor of history at Jersey City State College, a strong advocate of cultural pluralism, there is no need to reject the ethnic cultural heritage nor the ethnic identity. The society has to recognize cultural pluralism as a natural social development and a product of "new ethnicity."

However, it was pointed out that the issue is complex. Cultural pluralism can be positive when it adds some values to the American mainstream, or negative, when it separates people by extreme nativism or isolationism or leads to intergroup conflicts or frictions. There is need for tolerance, understanding and cooperation among ethnic groups. With the humanistic perspective to ethnicity predominant, said Dr. Proctor of Rutgers University in his concluding remarks, ethnicity should be recognized as a positive strong force bringing values to be shared by all.

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