when cultures meet - intercultural relations and global change

what is modernisation?

• economic development/industrialisation

• changes in eco-cultural framework; expect cultures to adapt to new context

• predicted that cultural beliefs and values will become more secular and more rational (Inglehart & Baker, 2000)

what is post-modernisation?

• shift from manufacturing to service economy

• predicted that cultural beliefs and values will become post-materialistic (Inglehart & Baker, 2000)

  • less focus on survival

  • greater focus on self expression

testing cultural change (world values survey)

• 7 waves from 1981 - present

• representative national samples in >75 countries

• traditional → secular-rational values

• survival → self-expression values

sources of intercultural contact

• plural societies - migrants, sojourners, refugees, tourists, indigenous people

• either voluntary or forced, sedentary or mobile, and permanent or temporary

what is acculturation?

• “[it] comprehends those phenomena which result when groups of individuals having different cultures come into continuous first-hand contact with subsequent changes in the original culture patterns of either or both groups” Redfield, Linton, & Herskovits, 1936, cited in Berry, 1997, p. 7)

• in practice, one group usually changes more (‘acculturating group’ vs ‘receiving society’ - minority vs majority)

effects of intercultural contact

• adaptation processes (affective, behavioural, cognitive)

• intergroup relations (power differentials, peaceful/hostile)

• acculturation strategies (changes or not in practices, values, and identifications)

• cultural changes (both groups, can lead to emergence of new cultures)

what are the ABCs of coping with ‘culture shock’ (Ward, Furnham, Bochner, 2001)?

• affective

• behavioural

• cognitive

outdated view of acculturation

• separation (cultural maintenance) vs assimilation (relationships with dominant group)

questions about acculturation according to Berry?

• is it considered to be of value to maintain cultural identity and characteristics?

• is it considered to be of value to maintain relationships with other groups?

what are the acculturation strategies (Berry, 1990, 1997)?

• assimilation

• integration

• marginalisation

• separation

how are acculturation strategies measured?

• Preferences for contact

• Preferences for cultural maintenance

• Cultural identities

• Language use and proficiency

• Cultural practices (food, clothing, media, etc.)

• Family and peer relationships

results from acculturation surveys

• Participants tended to prefer integration to the other acculturation strategies

• Participants who adopted integration showed the best psychological adaptation / least stress

• Marginalisation is least adaptive

• Assimilation and separation show intermediate and more variable outcomes, depending on context

what is meant by ‘integration’?

• living with multiple cultural identities

• bicultural identity integration

  • perceptions - harmony or conflict?

  • strategies - blending or compartmentalising?

• integration predicts wellbeing (especially harmony)

differences between settler (e.g. Australia, Canada, USA) vs non settler (France, Germany, UK) societies

• integration more common in settler societies

• separation predicts psychological adaptation better in non-settler societies

• also varies with culture of origin

strategies of the dominant group

• multiculturalism

• melting pot

• segregation

• exclusion

what is self categorisation theory (Turner et al, 1987)?

• intercultural context → cultural identities

• culture used to define self

what is social identity theory (Tajfel & Turner, 1979)?

• striving for positive cultural distinctiveness

• also maintain cultural continuity against threat

• threats to majority and minority identities

majority group identity processes

• may feel threatened

• symbolic threats to national identity

• realistic threats to social dominance

• reject minority members or identity expressions

minority group identity processes

• rejected by majority

• perpetual foreigner syndrome (Wu, 2001)

• segmented assimilation

• reactive ethnicity