Defining Cultural Amalgamation

When you think about the different aspects of your culture like music or food, do you ever wonder where they
originated? For example, if you live in the United States or Canada, you're likely familiar with the popularity
of Chinese or Mexican food. Despite their names, these foods are often quite different from the foods actually
prepared in China or Mexico. Rather, they are a product of American culture that is the result of cultural
amalgamation.

Cultural amalgamation is a term that refers to two or more cultures blending together to create a new, unique
culture. This concept is sometimes referred to as the melting pot theory because the objective is for the
individual pieces of each culture to become indistinguishable once they have blended with the others. For
instance, if you were making a soup, you would add different ingredients to your stock. The goal is not to be
able to taste individual ingredients, but rather to create a distinct flavor that results from blending those
ingredients.

Cultural Amalgamation in the U.S.

The U.S. population is made up of people from many different racial, ethnic, and religious backgrounds. All
groups of immigrants have their own heritage, which is the traditions, values, and practices that comprise the
culture from which they have come. Historically, this diversity has created something of a problem when it
came to unifying the people and creating an American culture. After all, you can't have a single culture if
everyone remains committed to their own ancestral heritage rather than becoming an American.

Beginning in the late 19th century, the American cultural majority, in response to a substantial increase in
immigration from Europe, began to promote the concept of cultural amalgamation. This was intended to
preserve the existing culture and create a unified population. New immigrants were expected contribute pieces
of their culture to the American culture, rather than continue to practice a foreign culture in the United States.

A good example of this process can be seen in American music, including blues, jazz, and country. These are
considered to be quintessentially American styles of music, yet they didn't come out of nowhere. For example,
blues music evolved from the folk and spiritual music of Africa and the Caribbean Islands, brought by slaves
and later by free black people who adapted their music for their new environment. In this case, an important
aspect of African culture was brought to the United States, where it was blended with the larger culture and
eventually became what we know it to be today.

Another good example is inter-ethnic marriages. In many cultures around the world, it is expected that one will
marry within their own ethnic or racial group. However, in the United States and other Western countries, it is
entirely common for an Arabic person to marry a non-Arab, or for an Italian to marry a Jew. These marriages
bring together two distinctly different ethnic and cultural backgrounds into one family unit, blending the
traditions and cultural practices into one.