Stanford sociologist flips assimilation formula in new book

In his new book, sociologist Tomás Jiménez turns the conventional analysis of assimilation on its head and dissects the phenomenon from the perspective of Silicon Valley’s established population.

The conventional way of studying assimilation is to document the changes immigrants and their children experience when adapting to a new culture.

Stanford sociologist Tomás Jiménez flips the equation in his new book, The Other Side of Assimilation: How Immigrants Are Changing American Life. Focusing on the unique composition and atmosphere of three distinct areas of Silicon Valley, Jiménez analyzes assimilation from the perspectives of the region’s established inhabitants by exploring how their lives have changed due to the presence of immigrants and interactions with them.

Stanford News Service interviewed Jiménez about his book, which examines themes including how immigration has reformed ideas about race and what it means to be American, as well as how engaging with immigrants is no longer an unfamiliar experience.

Continue reading the interview in the Stanford News