In his article, Max Herman writes about ethnic succession and what elements of it combine to stir up conflict. Herman argues that when a new ethnic group moves into a neighborhood, they compete with the existing ethnic group for a social status, whether through jobs, political power, or anything else. Eventually, this competition tends to boil over into a larger clash. Nevertheless, Herman posits that conflict can be avoided in such situations, particularly if the groups share similar cultures or religions or if the movement of the new ethnic group into the neighborhood is gradual.
The model of ethnic succession presented by Herman is reflected in a number of neighborhoods, such as Port Richmond in Staten Island, as Stephanie discussed in a previous post. There is a notable tension in the area between Hispanics and African Americans, largely for economic reasons as finding a job is difficult. This tension has played a role in a number of incidents. In 2010, when reporting on the assault of a Mexican teenager, the New York Times published article mentioning that in the span of four months there had been at least 10 incidents in which “assailants, mostly young black men, have assaulted Mexican immigrants walking in Port Richmond, which has seen the number of Mexican residents climb sharply over the past two decades.” (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/02/nyregion/02staten.html?_r=0)
Anbinder offers a historical perspective of some of the ideas presented by Herman. Anbinder describes conflict and violence in New York’s Five Points area against blacks. Though this violence was perpetrated by anti-abolitionists, Anbinder also points out that the attacks against the blacks reflected a fear of economic independence among African Americans. This echoes the idea in Herman’s article that when an ethnic group is able to create their own sustainable economy within an area, they often push out the other groups.
– Chris Arroyo
