In contemporary discourse, white Europeans and Americans often criticize immigrants, particularly from Africa, South America, and Asia, for failing to integrate into Western societies. They argue that these immigrants resist adopting Western languages, cultures, or values, framing it as a refusal to assimilate. However, this critique is steeped in historical irony and hypocrisy, as the same Western powers spent centuries colonizing vast regions of the world, systematically dismantling indigenous languages, cultures, religions, and social structures without ever attempting to integrate into the societies they subjugated. Instead, they imposed their languages, beliefs, and customs, often through violence and coercion, leaving a legacy of cultural destruction that contrasts sharply with the expectations placed on immigrants today.
Colonial Destruction of Indigenous Societies
Africa: Erasure of Linguistic and Cultural Diversity
During the colonial era, European powers, including Britain, France, Belgium, and Portugal, carved up Africa, imposing artificial borders and their systems of governance. Indigenous languages, numbering over 2,000 across the continent, were suppressed in favor of European tongues like English, French, and Portuguese. In British colonies like Nigeria, English became the language of administration and education, marginalizing languages such as Yoruba, Igbo, and Hausa. Missionaries often replaced traditional African spiritual practices with Christianity, portraying indigenous beliefs as primitive. For instance, in the Congo under Belgian rule, local customs were dismantled, and Christian missions enforced European-style education, eroding cultural practices like oral storytelling and communal rituals.
South America: Suppression of Indigenous Identities
In South America, Spanish and Portuguese colonizers decimated indigenous civilizations like the Inca and Mapuche. The Spanish imposed Castilian as the dominant language, suppressing Quechua and Aymara, which were spoken by millions. Catholic missionaries forcibly converted indigenous populations, destroying temples and sacred sites, such as those in Machu Picchu, and replacing them with churches. The encomienda system enslaved indigenous peoples, disrupting their social structures and imposing European feudal models. In Brazil, Portuguese colonizers eradicated countless indigenous languages and cultures, replacing them with Portuguese and Catholic traditions, leaving only fragments of Tupi-Guarani heritage.
Asia: Cultural Imposition and Erasure
In Asia, British, French, and Dutch colonization left deep scars. In India, the British East India Company and later the Crown enforced English as the language of governance and education, sidelining Hindi, Bengali, and Tamil. Traditional educational systems, like the gurukul, were replaced with British-style schools. Hindu and Muslim religious practices were often undermined by Christian missionary efforts. Similarly, in Indonesia, the Dutch imposed their language and Calvinist religion, disrupting Islamic and animist traditions. In French Indochina, Vietnamese, Khmer, and Lao cultures were subordinated to the French language and Catholic influence, with traditional Buddhist practices discouraged.
The Double Standard of Integration
The historical record shows that European colonizers made no effort to integrate into the societies they dominated. They did not learn local languages, adopt indigenous customs, or respect existing religious practices. Instead, they imposed their systems, often with devastating consequences. The transatlantic slave trade, for instance, stripped millions of Africans of their languages, names, and cultural identities, forcing them into a system that erased their heritage. In North America, Native American boarding schools, such as those in the U.S. and Canada, forcibly assimilated indigenous children, banning native languages and traditions under the mantra “kill the Indian, save the man.”
Yet, today, immigrants from these same regions are expected to seamlessly adopt Western languages, dress, and social norms to be deemed “integrated.” This expectation ignores the historical context: the cultures and languages of these immigrants’ ancestors were often deliberately destroyed by the very societies now demanding assimilation. For example, an African immigrant in France may be criticized for speaking their native language at home, yet French colonizers in Africa rarely learned local languages, instead enforcing French as the sole medium of instruction.
Where Was Your European Colonizing Integration?
To white Europeans and their descendants who critique immigrants for not integrating, a pointed question must be asked: Where was your integration during the centuries of colonization? When European powers invaded Africa, South America, and Asia, they did not seek to learn from or coexist with the societies they encountered. In Africa, British colonizers in Kenya did not adopt Swahili or Kikuyu customs but instead established segregated systems that prioritized English and Christian norms. In India, British officials lived in isolated enclaves, refusing to engage with local traditions beyond superficial curiosity, while enforcing English legal and educational systems. In the Americas, Spanish conquistadors did not embrace Aztec or Maya languages but razed their cities and imposed Spanish as the language of power.
If integration means adopting the host society’s values and practices, why did European colonizers never model this behavior? Instead, they demanded that entire populations conform to European standards, often under threat of violence. The hypocrisy is stark: descendants of those who erased indigenous cultures now expect immigrants to abandon their heritage, while conveniently ignoring their ancestors’ refusal to integrate into the societies they exploited. This question—where was your integration?—exposes the double standard and challenges the narrative that integration is a one-way obligation borne solely by immigrants.
Lasting Impacts and Modern Hypocrisy
The legacy of colonial destruction persists. In many former colonies, European languages remain official, while indigenous languages struggle for recognition. In Africa, only a few countries, like Ethiopia, preserved their linguistic heritage due to limited colonial interference. In South America, indigenous languages like Quechua are spoken by millions but lack official status in many contexts. In Asia, colonial education systems have left lasting divides, with English often serving as a marker of elite status in countries like India and Pakistan.
Critics of immigrant integration rarely acknowledge this history. They demand that immigrants abandon their cultural identities, yet European colonizers never modeled such integration themselves. Instead, they reshaped entire societies to mirror their own, leaving deep wounds that continue to affect global migration patterns. The hypocrisy lies in expecting immigrants to do what colonizers never did: respect and adopt the dominant culture while preserving their own.
The accusation that immigrants from Africa, South America, and Asia fail to integrate into Western societies ignores the historical actions of European and American colonizers, who systematically erased the languages, religions, and cultures of the regions they colonized. From the imposition of English in Nigeria to the destruction of Inca temples in Peru, colonizers showed no interest in integration, instead enforcing their systems through force. Demanding that today’s immigrants fully assimilate while ignoring this history is not only hypocritical but also a failure to recognize the resilience of cultures that survived colonial devastation. A more honest conversation about integration would acknowledge this past and foster mutual respect rather than one-sided demands.