THE historian Benedict Anderson observes that a nation is “an imagined political community.” By this he means that any nation, even the smallest and most homogeneous, is so large and complex that its members must collectively imagine what holds them together, as against the many conflicting interests pulling them apart. Such a collective image includes shared meanings, myths, and values conveyed in a common language, realized in national symbols, and supported by formal institutions, especially public education. The greater the cultural consensus, the more effective the political process and the more stable the social order. Thus the nation is as much a cultural as it is a political community.
Immigration, especially at high levels, has a natural tendency to disrupt this relationship. Yet the United States has successfully absorbed millions of immigrants throughout its history despite bouts of nativism. Peter Salins, the author of Assimilation American Style, describes this process as a contract between the newcomer and the nation whereby immigrants are expected to accept the national language and culture in return for full membership in the political and the cultural community.
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