Acculturation in Multiple Host Community Settings

Abstract

This article provides an overview of immigrant/host majority relations from an intergroup perspective using the interactive acculturation model. Whereas previous research assumed that immigrants must adapt to a single dominant host majority, receiving societies are often made up of host communities whose ethnic and linguistic backgrounds vary, thus offering immigrants the option of adapting to one or more host communities. Two such settings are examined in North America: bilingual Montreal made up of French-and English-speaking host communities; and bilingual Los Angeles with its English-speaking European and African American host communities and its Spanish-and Asian-speaking immigrant communities. The Montreal and Los Angeles studies highlight how integration policies adopted at the national and institutional levels are related to the acculturation orientations endorsed by contrasting immigrant and host community undergraduates living in multilingual and multicultural settings.Based on 19th century myth founding concepts of the unitary nation-state, the term host majority is still popular as a way of referring to the ancestral "core founding members" of a given country or region. The term host majority implies an "us -them" categorization which situates immigrants as out-groups who may be temporary or permanent "visitors" within the receiving society. Traditionally, host majority members expected immigrants to assimilate as individuals to the culture, language, and values of the receiving society. Host majorities have found it easier to absorb immigrants when their cultural differences were reduced to exotic manifestations such as ethnic restaurants, music, and dance. However, immigrants by virtue of their demographic weight and staying power may also act as group members to maintain and assert their distinctive culture, language, and religion.

Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia Is Prospectively Associated With Early Trajectories of Acculturation Among New International Students

“…In the present case, higher RSA likely does not directly causes more positive mainstream cultural orientation toward Canadians, but it is part of a biological system that, combined with other individual differences and idiosyncratic experiences, increase the likelihood of more positive orientations emerging. Similarly, the cultural context, through its norms, institutions, etc., imposes additional constraints on what orientations are possible or desirable for migrants (Bourhis et al, 2010). This perspective points to a conceptualization of acculturation as a dynamic process of change that is both embodied (Tardif-Williams & Fisher, 2009) and context-dependent.…”

“…A few studies suggest that the sociopolitical context (Bourhis, Moïse, Perreault, & Senécal, 1997;Bourhis, Montaruli, El-Geledi, Harvey, & Barrette, 2010), demographic characteristics (Allen, Vaage, & Hauff, 2006), and personality factors such as need for cognitive closure (Kosic, 2004(Kosic, , 2006 influence cultural orientations. Longitudinal studies starting ideally right before migration or very shortly after would allow for the identification of initial predictors of acculturation trajectories, which, in turn, would facilitate the identification of individuals who are more likely to experience psychosocial adjustment difficulties (Nguyen and BenetMartínez, 2013).…”

Mantenimiento y adaptación cultural de diferentes grupos inmigrantes: variables predictoras

“…Los diferentes modelos de aculturación psicológica reconocen el papel fundamental del origen de los inmigrantes sobre la forma en que se desarrolla su proceso de aculturación y adaptación en una nueva sociedad de acogida (p.e., Berry, 1997;Bourhis, Moïse, Perreault y Senécal, 1997;Bourhis, Montaruli, El-Geledi, Harvey y Barrette, 2010;Navas et al, 2004;Navas y Rojas, 2010). La razón fundamental es que estas diferencias en origen también se acompañan de diferencias en una serie de características (p.e., sociodemográficas, económicas, psicosociales, culturales) que, sin duda, influirán en estos procesos.…”

“…La cultura y la historia del país de origen, la experiencia personal, las razones por las que se decide emigrar y multitud de otras variables (psicosociales, sociodemográficas, etc.) pueden influir profundamente en la forma de afrontar este proceso en el país de acogida, así como en el tipo y la naturaleza de las relaciones que se establecen con el grupo mayoritario.En efecto, cuando las personas se ven envueltas en un proceso migratorio, inevitablemente entran en contacto con una cultura diferente a la propia, y esto desencadena determinados cambios tanto en los inmigrantes, como en la sociedad de acogida, lo que es conocido generalmente como "proceso de aculturación" (Redfield, Linton y Herskovits, 1936).Los diferentes modelos de aculturación psicológica reconocen el papel fundamental del origen de los inmigrantes sobre la forma en que se desarrolla su proceso de aculturación y adaptación en una nueva sociedad de acogida (p.e., Berry, 1997; Bourhis, Moïse, Perreault y Senécal, 1997; Bourhis, Montaruli, El-Geledi, Harvey y Barrette, 2010;Navas et al, 2004; Navas y Rojas, 2010). La razón fundamental es que estas diferencias en origen también se acompañan de…”

Xenophobia: Social Psychological Aspects

“…Studies conducted in Québec and in California (Bourhis et al, 2010) showed that respondents who endorsed more restrictive acculturation orientations toward immigrants (assimilationism, segregationism, or exclusionism) had more conflictual relationships with them than those who favored more welcoming orientations. Studies carried out in Québec further revealed that more restrictive acculturation orientations were endorsed with respect to devalued -visible minorities -but not with valued immigrants -Christian White immigrants from Europe.…”