Cultural diversity in unequal societies sustained through cross-cultural competence and identity valuation

John A. Bunce

doi:10.1057/s41599-021-00916-5

Abstract

In much contemporary political discourse, valued cultural characteristics are threatened by interaction with culturally distinct others, such as immigrants or a hegemonic majority. Such interaction often fosters cross-cultural competence (CCC), the ability to interact successfully across cultural boundaries. However, most theories of cultural dynamics ignore CCC, making cultural diversity incompatible with mutually beneficial inter-group interaction, and contributing to fears of cultural loss. Here, interview-based field methods at an Amazonian ethnic boundary demonstrate the prevalence of CCC. These data motivate a new theoretical mathematical model, incorporating competing developmental paths to CCC and group identity valuation, that illuminates how a common strategy of disempowered minorities can counter-intuitively sustain cultural diversity within a single generation: Given strong group identity, minorities in a structurally unequal, integrative society can maintain their distinctive cultural norms by learning those of the majority. Furthermore, rather than a rejection of, or threat to, majority culture, the valuation of a distinctive minority identity can characterize CCC individuals committed to extensive, mutually beneficial engagement with the majority as members of an integrative, multi-cultural society.

Highlights

In 2007, the United Nations declared its support for indigenous peoples’ efforts to maintain their cultural heritage as full citizens of their respective countries (United Nations General Assembly, 2007)
All cultures are continuously reconstructed (Jackson, 1995), fears of losing particular cultural manifestations are politically salient (Hainmueller and Hopkins, 2014; Nagel, 1996), and often reference historical precedent (The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, 2012). Such fears are further supported by most theoretical models of cultural change in the social sciences (Advani and Reich, 2015; Bisin et al, 2011; Boyd and Richerson, 2009; Bunce and McElreath, 2018; Carvalho, 2017; Erten et al, 2018; Kandler et al, 2010; Kuran and Sandholm, 2008; Mesoudi, 2018; Olcina et al, 2018) (Appendix A), in which sustaining a diversity of competing cultural variants in a given domain is impossible in a structurally unequal, integrative society—one accepting of cultural diversity yet encouraging interaction among all constituents that is mutually, optimally, though potentially unequally, beneficial
A simplified model focusing on these dynamics (Fig. 2C) shows that S1X can be potentially sustained across generations if group identity is valued and the learning cost of cultural competence (CCC) (m) is sufficiently low

Summary

Introduction

In 2007, the United Nations declared its support for indigenous peoples’ efforts to maintain their cultural heritage as full citizens of their respective countries (United Nations General Assembly, 2007). All cultures are continuously reconstructed (Jackson, 1995), fears of losing particular cultural manifestations are politically salient (Hainmueller and Hopkins, 2014; Nagel, 1996), and often reference historical precedent (The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, 2012) Such fears are further supported by most theoretical models of cultural change in the social sciences (Advani and Reich, 2015; Bisin et al, 2011; Boyd and Richerson, 2009; Bunce and McElreath, 2018; Carvalho, 2017; Erten et al, 2018; Kandler et al, 2010; Kuran and Sandholm, 2008; Mesoudi, 2018; Olcina et al, 2018) (Appendix A), in which sustaining a diversity of competing cultural variants in a given domain is impossible in a structurally unequal, integrative society—one accepting of cultural diversity yet encouraging interaction among all constituents that is mutually, optimally, though potentially unequally, beneficial (adapted from Berry, 1997). Preventing the loss of distinctive cultural forms, where they are desired in integrative societies plagued by inequality, calls for strategies grounded in theory

Methods

Results

Conclusion