Now in his controversial new work, Who Are We?, Huntington focuses on an identity crisis closer to home as he examines the impact other civilizations and their values are having on our own country.

America was founded by British settlers who brought with them a distinct culture, says Huntington, including the English language, Protestant values, individualism, religious commitment, and respect for law. The waves of immigrants that later came to the United States gradually accepted these values and assimilated into America's Anglo-Protestant culture. More recently, however, our national identity has been eroded by the problems of assimilating massive numbers of primarily Hispanic immigrants and challenged by issues such as bilingualism, multiculturalism, the devaluation of citizenship, and the "denationalization" of American elites.

September 11 brought a revival of American patriotism and a renewal of American identity, but already there are signs that this revival is fading. Huntington argues the need for us to reassert the core values that make us Americans. Timely and thought-provoking, Who Are We? is an important book that is certain to shape our national conversation about who we are.

Now, Huntington's focus has turned inward to the changing identity of American society. He considers that the demographic explosion of Mexicans within the U.S. is causing a Clash of Civilizations within our borders. This is not going to be a destructive clash as the one with Islam. Nevertheless, Huntington suggests it may alter the identity of the U.S.

Huntington states that the U.S. identity is the result of an Anglo-Protestant culture characterized by the English language, the rule of law, work ethic, education, and upward mobility. This entails that each generation has aspired to achieve a higher standard of living. Immigrants from all over the World have adopted this Anglo-Saxon creed as their own road to success. Generations of Europeans, and Asians adopted the English language as a mean to thrive within American society.

However, according to Huntington, Mexicans are different. Mexican immigration differs from past immigration due to a combination of factors, including: proximity, scale, regional concentration, and historical presence.

Mexico is a large country contiguous to the U.S. with a huge population of 100 million. Mexicans infiltrate the porous U.S. border in unprecedented numbers. Thus, Mexicans dominate the influx of emigrants to the U.S. They also tend to settle in Border States. By 2050 Hispanics are projected to represent 25% of the U.S. population. Today they already account for over 32% of the population in California and Texas. Many Mexicans view their infiltration within the U.S. as their regaining territorial claims they had lost to the U.S. in the mid 1800s.

Huntington states there are serious implications to the Mexicanization of parts of the U.S. Hispanics, including Mexicans, unlike other immigrants, do not buy into the Anglo-Protestant creed of our founding settlers. Asians moved to the U.S. and faced formidable linguistic barriers, as their mother tongue was so different from a Western language. But, they did not think this was a problem. However, Hispanics thinks it is. They promote a bilingual country. Over time, they will demand bilingual education, and bilingual political access and power.

Huntington's arguments are challenging because they are well founded. Huntington mentions that Mexicans do not believe in the Anglo-Protestant creed on several counts. Contrary to other minorities, Mexicans do not buy into education as a road to success. He has studied the educational profile of Mexicans. He noticed that Mexicans' education levels across generations are actually declining. The fourth generation descendents of Mexican immigrants (the great grand children of the first immigrants) are less well educated than the third generation. Only 9.6% of Mexicans earn a college degree. This is about half the rate of African Americans, commonly considered the most underprivileged minority group in the U.S. As a result of their declining academic achievement, the fourth generation also experiences lower income and a dramatically lower level of homeownership (only 40.3% vs. 55.1% for their parents' generation; and 64.1% for the U.S. average).

Huntington quotes members of the Latino business community who recognize the difference between the cultures. These businessmen indicate that several cultural features keep their respective community behind, including: mistrust of people outside the family, lack of initiative, self-reliance, and ambition; little use for education; and acceptance of poverty as a virtue necessary for entrance into heaven.

If you want to further study this topic, I recommend David Heer's "Immigration in America's Future"; Richard Alba's "Remaking the American Mainstream"; and Barry Edmonston's "Immigration and Ethnicity."


A hispanic recommends   August 23, 2004
 109 out of 126 found this review helpful

As a Hispanic American, I was a bit conflicted with Samuel P. Huntington's "Who Are We?," but I ultimately enjoyed it. His premise is that we are now seeing a wave of immigration like none before. First in its sheer numbers, but more importantly in the fact that America has never before had so many immigrants from one non-English language and culture come at the same time.

By 2050, Hispanics are projected to be the majority of the population. Huntington never says that this is a bad thing per se, but he makes a great case that immigrants today are not assimilating into American culture like they have in the past. Today they keep their language, their culture, and often their foreign citizenship as well. This is only a problem if you believe that white Anglo-Saxon protestant culture, which immigration is ostensibly eroding, is superior and at the core of American greatness. Huntington certainly seems to believe this; only time will tell if he is right.

While I agree with him on so many points (bilingual education in public schools, for example, which is really education in Spanish), I'm not sure I share his general concern. We are experiencing a major demographic shift, and affirmative action does distort the American dream, but I'm not sure that future generations of Hispanic Americans will not assimilate into a (modified) American culture.

I am an American first and foremost. This is the case probably because I was born and raised here. But Spanish was nevertheless my first language, and my folks didn't become citizens until this year. If I ever have children, they will certainly be even more American than me. Despite Huntington's copious statistics, I don't see how a future generation of immigrants' children, born and raised in the U.S., will not pick up the English language and have at least the same love for this country that your average white suburban disaffected teen has.

While packed with quotes jarringly split with attribution, and so many detailed facts that would have better been presented in footnotes, "Who Are We?" is nevertheless an important book. Huntington's credentials are enough reason to read it, but if you are interested in the future of this country you should read it, too.


Instant clasic!   July 5, 2004
 42 out of 58 found this review helpful

I bought this book because I had read his former book, "The Clash of Civilizations". At the time I was very impressed by his unusual stand and fresh look on world affairs. In "The Clash of Civilizations" he described the importants that cultural difference have in world politics. And the consequences of these differences after the end of the cold war for the world affairs (it turned into a classic). In "Who Are We" Huntington concentrates on the cultural identity of the United States of America that made it what it is today. In a way this is book is a follow up on the "Clash of Civilizations", but this time not directly for the world affairs but for the internal affairs of the USA. Although, as a European reader, I recognized the same trends described in the book in Europe. After reading this book, I was quite shocked to see, how indifferent the American elite can be over their own cultural identity. Shocked to see, that in some ways it can supersede even European policies. In my view the books presents a compelling case against the over the top multi culturalisme (and not only in the USA), that made us forget who we are and hence made it impossible to act on what is need to survive in a multi cultural world.

I noticed that there was a lot of bad press on this book (just as "clash of civilizations"), every self respecting source needed to comment on the book, that sounds as an instant classic to me! As happens always when a book is not telling the already accepted, many reviewers reject the new ideas presented to them in loud words.

What ever side your on, if you buy this book, you buy a classic and have a nice view on the battle of ideas that will shape tomorrow.


What the elite don't want to hear...   June 22, 2004
 35 out of 46 found this review helpful

Franklin's quip "if you don't listen to reason she will surely rap your knuckles".....comes to mind when reading this book. As with "Clash Of Civilizations" Hunting methodically points out trends the elite don't want to hear- they would rather embrace abstract notions like "the end of history". In "Who Are We" Huntington illustrates how American identity is eroding - and how this is pushed by an elite who by and large are out of touch with the rest of America. The consequences are catostrophic - if the current trends continue a large part of America will be 'hispanisized' - a de facto separate country.

He also points out that the more extensive arguements of Carol Swain, that White (or European) ethinic activism will grow if the pandering to other ethnic groups continue. It's not hard to see that the current levels of immigration and the increased ethinic fragmentation are not sustainable trends.

Huntington backs up his thesis with careful research, expert analsyis, and the obvious, but overlooked- the direct quotes of the people who are advocating the destruction of our Anglo-Protestant core.


Xenophobia 2004... new shiny look   October 27, 2004
 31 out of 75 found this review helpful

For someone who equates "American" with White-European-Protestant, Huntington writes remarkably well and makes one or two good points. (Take for instance, Huntington's observation that Americans are becoming more culture focused and less nation-state focused.)

But peel away the facade of intellectualism and objectivism and what do we uncover? The usual anti-Mexican, anti-immigrant, anti-papist, zenophobic rhetoric.

Huntintons' complaints aren't new. Racist, classist, and unfactual? Yes. But not new.

The Mexicans just won't learn the language. The Mexicans just won't stop re-producing. The Mexicans have one foot in this country and one foot in the other. And so on.

But What makes Huntington's critique unique is the willingness with which he rewrites and distorts White American history. The revisions are, of course, meant to uphold his claim that the contemporary arrival of hoards of Mexican immigrants is significantly diferent and more harmful than the grand influx of poor European immigrants during the early part of this century. My European ancestors, he says, were better for this country than my newly arrived Mexican neighbors are because they were 'settlers,' 'pilgrims' who helped mold the nation. They were willing and prepared to give up the old ways, to assimulate properly. They didn't overpopulate, they didn't wallow in their own poverty, and they didn't border-hop.

Never mind that they did. Never mind that my own White family history challenges the myth of instanteneous American-ness on every level. Huntington isn't interested in the incongruencies of history.

That's why everyone South of the Border is "Mexican" in this Book. Forget the varied experiences of Puerto Rican "immigrants," of Cuban, Guatemalan, Chilean, Peruvian, and Colombian refugees. Forget the Brazilians all together. For the purposes of Huntington's "thourough" examination of Latin influences in North America all Latinos will be considered "Mexican."

All in all Hungtington's book repersents a grand under-estimation of Americans from every corner of the globe. This can be seen most clearly in Huntington's abject panic in the face of bilingualism. It's bad enough, he tells us, that the "average" American has to tolerate the babble of non-English speakers. But what are we going to do if Bilingualism comes to be seen as the norm, or, god forbid, an asset? White working class Americans will be left behind as a Spangish elite snatches up all the jobs!

Huntington just doesn't think much of Americans. Not white ones, not black ones, and not brown ones. He doesn't think we can handle more than one language without our heads exploding. He doesn't think we can differentiate between our favorite Soccer team and our Nation of residence. And he desn't think we can accomodate more than one American dream. But he'd like us to take his lake of confidence as patriotism.

I'm not worried about "Who Are We" though. Because seventy years ago when my ignorant, unwashed, insular, rapidly reproducing Eastern-European Jewish ancestors hopped the ocean all the "real" Americans weren't that thrilled then either. But they're getting over it, finding new scape-goats apparently. And I'm betting that in seventy years the Huntington's of the world will have forgotten about the shift in US demographics that took place around the turn of the century, and be focused on making someone else's life harder.