罗马天主教语境中的美国历史和民族——奥雷斯蒂斯·布朗森论移民的美国化

American Identity in the Context of Roman Catholicism: Oresters A. Brownson on Americanization of Immigrants

移民通过美国化 (Americanization)融入主流社会这一现象通常被看成是美国生活最成功的一个方面。到 2 0世纪 60年代 ,文化多元主义的倾向又使得一些美国学者和政治家提出 ,“熔炉”现象其实并不存在 ,美国社会各族群之间从来都有鲜明的界限。这种思想倾向在一定程度上模糊了美国主流社会历来大力提倡移民全盘美国化这一至今并未改变的事实。美国人自己对移民美国化问题的认识构成思想史上一个有趣的片段 ,其中奥雷斯蒂斯·布朗森对 1 9世纪天主教移民美国化所发表的见解是美国文化的重要遗产。其核心内容是 :移民应该认同美国宪法 ,参与民主政治 ,对激进的社会变革和意识形态持怀疑态度 ,以天主教信仰促进民主和公民意识的养成。

Americanization——the assimilation of immigrants into mainstream society——is generally considered a great success of the United States. Yet since the 1960s, scholars and politicians began to reject the “melting pot' myth and point to the ethnic differences in American life under the influence of cultural and ethnic pluralism, which obscured the perpetual efforts of the American mainstream society to assimilate the immigrants. Intellectuals have been cognizant of issues raised by American identity. Oresters A. Brownson (1803-1876) was a prominent one among them. He advised Catholic migrants to accommodate themselves to the values and laws embodied in the American Constitution, adopt a conservative political stance and uphold their faith to influence other citizens. Catholicism would, in his opinion, provide a solid spiritual foundation for democracy and civic virtues. His statements have become part of the American national heritage. In spite of the fashion for pluralism, Americans as a nation have never given up the hope of integrating immigrants through Americanization.