| Summary: | This paper addresses the expectation that immigrants will assimilate into the culture of their new country, why that expectation may be legitimate and how the modern state may act upon it. The central contention made is that because a national culture provides meaning and structure to the lives of members, and because that culture must be both traditional and institutionalized by the state to fulfill that purpose, if the state’s institutions, processes and procedures through their association with the national culture create an assimilative pressure on immigrants, this is morally permissible. However, the modern state is restricted from actively pursuing assimilation in the private sphere because of its commitment to individual liberty. Implications of this argument for the nature of citizenship and public policy are also discussed.
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