Considering intersectionality in acculturation: Bringing theory to practice

Abstract

Intersectionality—a conceptual and analytical framework for understanding how aspects of an individual’s social and political identities combine to create different modes of discrimination and privilege—has gained significant traction in psychology in the past decade. This framework urges researchers and policymakers to consider systemic and social factors that may preclude marginalized and racialized people from accessing the same opportunities as their majority-group counterparts. Despite some conceptual similarities between cultural psychology, intergroup relations, and intersectionality, this framework has been noticeably absent from the field of acculturation research. Acculturation has largely been conceptualized as the parallel negotiation of one’s engagement with mainstream and heritage cultural environments. Research in acculturation has mainly focused on antecedents and challenges related to this engagement. Here, we set forth that an important gap in this research domain pertains to the limited consideration of the systemic and social factors that may preclude marginalized and racialized migrants’ access to both mainstream and heritage cultural identities. Specifically, we argue that to understand migrants’ experiences in their new country, it is essential to consider the unique contexts that emerge from the intersection of identities (e.g., gender, religious, and racial identities), social categories (e.g., socioeconomic status and ethnicity), and exclusions (e.g., social rejection experience because of one’s marginalized identities). To that end, we aim to set an agenda for future research which presents intersectionality as a key perspective to include in acculturation research. We also incorporate practical recommendations for the use of an intersectional framework in the study of acculturation, at all steps of the research process, from the elaboration of research questions to quantitative analyses.