Intercultural Contact Research Articles

The Phenomenon of “Multiple Identity” in Modern Kyrgyz Society

The article considers political processes in the Kyrgyz Republic through the prism of complexly structured identity and historical memory of the Kyrgyz people. Manifestations of retraditionalization of the Kyrgyz social organization are considered as an inevitable consequence of disengagement from the Union center’s control. The author emphasizes multilayered and segmented character of the Kyrgyz political culture that integrates traditionalism and modernization. The formation of multiple identity is characterized as a consequence of objective processes of reformatting the social environment as a result of technological innovations, intensification of intercultural and intercivilizational contacts, increasing mobility of the population. The article shows the fundamental role of the folk epic Manas in formation of national identity with the dominant tendency to strengthen the position of Islam in the multi-layered and syncretic religious practice of the Kyrgyz. The influence of tribal and clan self-identification on the political processes in the country is considered. There are factors that led to differences in the self-identification of urban and rural strata, as well as the Kyrgyz "North" and "South" of the country. The processes of ethno-cultural sovereignization of the titular ethnos, as well as other national groups of Kyrgyzstan are considered. The evolution of the state policy regarding the formation of a common civil identity in Kyrgyzstan, which provided for the implementation of the local version of multiculturalism, involving the protection of the ethno-cultural identity of national minorities, is shown.

Міграції чи культурні контакти: щодо теорії «ямної навали» на терени Центральної Європи

It is noted that some researchers have associated the migration of ancestors of Indo-Europeans to Europe with the Yamna cultural and historical community. It is established that based on a comparison of genomic markers from the remains of the Volga-Ural group of Yamna culture and representatives of European populations from the Mesolithic to the Bronze Age, Western geneticists recently proposed their concept of mass migration of bearers of Yamna culture to Central Europe, which led to the emergence of Corded ware culture. It is noted that from the archaeological point of view, neither this large-scale migration nor the origin of the «Corded ware culture people» from the «Yamna culture people» can be traced. It has been suggested that the formation of Corded ware cultures took place along with the formation of Yamna cultural community on a unified genetic substrate. It is noted that the similarity of genetic determinants in YCHC and CWC is not the result of the formation of one culture from another, but indicates a common genetic basis, which arose from complex processes of interaction between agricultural and steppe populations, which later developed according to individual cultural trajectories. The advance of the Yamna population to the west is considered as an intrusion into the local environment, not as its mass migration to Central Europe. It is assumed that there was a «trade colonization» with the formation of enclaves, covering the newcomers and the local population, with a gradual advance to the west. This is supported by the fact that in Central Europe about 20 burials of Yamna culture have been studied, which do not form a unified complex but occur in cemeteries of different cultures. It has been established that the main movement of the population of the Yamna culture to the west was along the Danube and partly through Transylvania, where the sites of CWC are unknown. The initial area from which the intrusion was carried out is the North-Western Black Sea region. It is concluded that such statistical information gives reason to doubt the mass migration of bearers of Yamna culture from the Volga-Ural watershed to Central Europe. It is noted that instead the migration of the Seredniodniprovska culture, which settled on the territory of the Northern Sub-Carpathian region and the Sokal Ridge, is much more clearly expressed. It has been established that the population of this culture joined the local CWC environment, forming syncretic sites with features of two and sometimes three (Yamna/Catacombna) cultures. It is known that after Seredniodniprovska culture the representatives of Catacombna culture penetrated Central Europe in the north-western direction. Their presence is most clearly traced in the environment of Strzyżowska culture. It has been established that the movement of the Babyne culture population to the territory of the Sub-Carpathian region, and especially to the Western Volhynia – to places where flint outcrops are localized, the environment of Horodok-Zdovbytsia and Strzyżowska cultures is increasingly observed. Key words: Yamna culture, Corded ware culture, Catacombna culture, Seredniodniprovska culture, Strzyżowska culture, migration, intercultural contacts, barrow, burial.

The Missing Side of Acculturation: How Majority-Group Members Relate to Immigrant and Minority-Group Cultures

In many countries, individuals who have represented the majority group historically are decreasing in relative size and/or perceiving that they have diminished status and power compared with those self-identifying as immigrants or members of ethnic minority groups. These developments raise several salient and timely issues, including (a) how majority-group members’ cultural orientations change as a consequence of increasing intercultural contact due to shifting demographics; (b) what individual, group, cultural, and socio-structural processes shape these changes; and (c) what the implications of majority-group members’ acculturation are. Although research across several decades has examined the acculturation of individuals self-identifying as minority-group members, much less is known about how majority-group members acculturate in increasingly diverse societies. We present an overview of the state of the art in the emerging field of majority-group acculturation, identify what is known and needs to be known, and introduce a conceptual model to guide future research.

Preliminary Validation of the Questionnaire on Behavioral Strategies in Intercultural Conflict

Globalization, forced and voluntary migration, as well as the development of international relations result in increased cultural heterogeneity and, accordingly, increased frequency of intercultural contacts. Unfortunately, the massive clash of different cultures, ethnic groups and confessions is often accompanied by the emergence of cultural misunderstandings, prejudices and conflicts. From the point of view of scientific knowledge, intercultural conflict is a relatively new and poorly studied subject of psychology, which includes the need to create new tools for studying this kind of conflict. The article presents the results of the development and preliminary validation of The Questionnaire on Behavioral Strategies in Intercultural Conflict based on a motivational model for choosing a behavioral strategy. The development of the questionnaire took place in several stages and included a qualitative and quantitative methodology. The methodology was validated on a Russian sample (N = 256). The obtained results of approbation indicate rather high psychometric characteristics of the method as a research tool. The developed questionnaire describes behavior consistent with seven strategies: collaborating, competing, avoiding, accommodating, teaching norms, expressing negative emotions, and searching a third party. The questionnaire can be used by various specialists for the prevention and settlement of intercultural conflicts, when conducting trainings on ethnic tolerance and intercultural competence and communication, when developing recommendations for state and non-profit organizations dealing with the problems of interethnic relations, adaptation of refugees and migrants.

English-Language Periodicals and Reading Rooms in Nineteenth-Century Italy as Spaces of Intercultural Contact and Exchange

This paper discusses the symbiotic relationship that developed between English-language periodicals published in Italy and major reading rooms in Rome and Florence. This relationship took various configurations – from Luigi Piale in Rome, who opened a reading room and published the weekly The Roman Advertiser, to the Gabinetto Vieusseux in Florence that provided access to the many English-language periodicals published in Italy – and created important spaces of transnational cultural interaction. The paper looks at the cultural practices and the forms of sociability represented by the reading of periodicals and the patronizing of reading rooms as ‘imported traditions’ brought to Italy by the many British cultured travellers and residents in the nineteenth century. It identifies the actors who promoted these cultural practices (editors, librarians, cosmopolitan intellectuals) and analyses their role as mediating figures who created in-between spaces where cross-cultural exchanges unfolded. The paper also discusses the broader transnational cultural dynamic at work as those cultural practices imported from England favoured a greater engagement of British visitors and expatriates with the Italian political and cultural environment.

NON-INVASIVE INVESTIGATION OF BURIAL MOUNDS IN THE BASINS OF THE MURAFA AND RIV RIVERS IN VINNYTSIA REGION IN 2019

In 2019, the implementation of the first stage of the field investigations within the project «Podolia as a contact area in the 3rd millennium BC: Kurgans on the rivers Murafa and Riv» began. The project is financed by the National Science Centre, Poland, under no. 2017/27/B/HS3/01444.
 The main goal of the research is to identify the forms and intensity of the intercultural contacts in the region of the middle course of the Southern Buh and the Dnister interfluve. The burial mounds, located between the rivers Murafa (left-bank basin of the Dnister River) and Riv (right-bank basin of the Southern Buh River), are objects of the study. Professional archeological excavations of the burial mounds in the region have not been conducted before. There are only data about unauthorized excavations of several burial mounds by locals at the turn of the XIX—XX centuries, which perhaps contained burials with artefacts of the Globular Amphora culture. More than a century later, archaeologists conducted registration of the burial mounds in the region. M. Potupchyk has surveyed and mapped most of the mound groups.
 In the framework of the project realization, the non-invasive geophysical studies of four burial mound groups, located near the villages of Sloboda Noskovetska, Tokarivka and Sloboda Mezhyrivska of Zhmerynka district and between the villages of Ivanivtsi and Antonivka of Bar district of Vinnytsia region were conducted. The total obtained area is 8.19 hectares. Thirteen burial mounds are located there.
 A number of anomalies inside and outside the burial mounds were found by magnetic survey. Most often, anomalies form circular or square structures that surround mound and can be interpreted as ditches. Mainly in the central parts of the burial mounds, anomalies of various shapes were also found. They appear to be associated with burial objects. Sometimes anomalies outside the burial mounds, but in close proximity to them, are also interpreted as potentially archaeological objects. The latter may be associated with a variety of funeral rites. There were also burial mounds within which no clear magnetic anomalies were observed. This is probably also a reflection of the funeral traditions and construction of the mounds.

Living together: An integrated acculturation–contact strategy to promote ethnic harmony between young British Muslims and Anglo-Britons

Acculturation theorists have proposed that minority and majority members’ endorsement of the cultural integration orientation should positively impact their mutual intergroup relations. To examine this claim, the study develops and experimentally tests a vicarious intercultural contact strategy designed to promote integration endorsement among a sample of 379 British youths (aged between 18 and 21 years), of whom 172 were British Muslims and 207 were White British. In line with theoretical expectations, results revealed that integration attained through vicarious contact, relative to a control condition, reduced respondents’ negative emotions, increased their positive emotions and inclusion of the other in the self (IOS), and improved their outgroup attitudes. These effects were only present in the Muslim group. Integration effects on outgroup attitude outcomes were mediated by intergroup emotions and IOS. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of these findings.

Street markets, urban development and immigrant entrepreneurship: Unpacking precarity in Moore Street, Dublin

Traditional markets represent vital spaces of opportunity for livelihood-building, intercultural contact and for developing familiarity with the city. Yet, worldwide, markets are under pressure due to redevelopment agendas driven by neoliberalised forms of urban governance. Although precarious sites of occupation and employment, markets still maintain an attractiveness for immigrant micro-entrepreneurs as a foothold into the labour market and urban economy. Through a case study of the historic Moore Street market in central Dublin (Ireland), we explore the experiences of immigrant entrepreneurs. While these may be different in terms of their familiarity with the urban, institutional and regulatory landscapes, they are not entirely dissimilar from the experiences of longer-term traders in Moore Street. However what is evident is how precarity is tactically exploited by newcomer entrepreneurs for particular reasons. These traders prize the autonomy brought by market trading and use it as a meso-scale between low-paid waged employment and higher-level employment that may be out of reach for a variety of reasons. We argue that in examining urban precarity, increased attention should be paid to exploring the context-specific nature of the processes that give rise to it as well as the agentic capacity exercised to exploit it even within structural constraints.

СТРАТЕГІЧНІ ФУНКЦІЇ СОЦІАЛЬНО-ПЕДАГОГІЧНОГО СУПРОВОДУ ІНОЗЕМНОГО СТУДЕНТА: ДІАГНОСТИЧНА ТА КОМУНІКАТИВНА

The article considers the essential characteristics of the diagnostic and communicative functions of the system of foreign students’ social and pedagogical support. It was revealed, that the diagnostic function contributes to the implementation of monitoring and analytical actions by the student, allowing to consider the causes of culture shock in a full range and to identify the root causes of a certain problem. It was emphasized that we can achieve the highest level of effectiveness of the diagnostic function when using objective, subjective and projective approaches. The importance of the communicative function as a fundamental element of interpersonal interaction has been substantiated. When carrying out the adaptation, it is necessary to take into account the importance of the communication triad appearing, such as: «foreign student – student of the host country» (the relationship is the interaction of cultures between the personality of the host country and the personality of the foreign culture. The complexity of connection is that it takes a certain amount of time for representatives of these cultures to find the appropriate points of contact to establish the communicative contact, which will promote the effective activity in future. We should add that in the presence of such connection, the foreign student’s intercultural adaptation occurs only in one direction – in the interaction with the American student. «Foreign student – foreign student» - this type of relationship is more structured and difficult, because a foreign student needs to build the relationships not with a representative of one culture, but with individuals of different cultural groups. This feature negatively effects the processes of adaptation, making them longer because a foreign student needs to establish the processes of interaction with many individuals, and for this it is important to conduct the acculturation in relation to several cultures. «Foreign student – the representative of the local community» - such relationship has not academic, but socio-cultural orientation, because the interaction take place not within the educational institution and is not related to educational activities. The creation of intercultural contacts with the representatives of the local community is a more difficult task because they are not under the adaptive influence of the university or college. So it is important to use a different approach, namely cultural when during the events both the local community representatives and foreign students take part in it (e.g., visits the local attractions; festivals for demonstration both local culture and the cultures of students from other countries, etc.). &nbsp

Ethnic Stereotype Formation and Its Impact on Sojourner Adaptation: A Case of "Belt and Road" Chinese Migrant Workers in Montenegro.

Ethnic stereotypes are cognitive markers that are formed and modified because of intercultural contact with a new cultural group. There is now much empirical evidence that explicates how stereotypes of ethnic groups can impact individuals’ acculturation experiences. However, what is unknown is how previously nonexistent ethnic beliefs are formed as a result of contact with the local culture. One hundred and seventy-four (N = 174) overseas Chinese construction workers were contacted through the Chinese Consulate in Montenegro and agreed to participate in the present study. The online questionnaire asked workers to describe Montenegrin majority members in terms of five characteristics. These traits formed the stereotype markers that were classified as positive, neutral, or negative. Sojourners also answered questions that measured perceived cultural distance, social exclusion, knowledge of Montenegrin culture, feelings of social exclusion, and their sociocultural adaptation. Results show that both positive and negative stereotypes are correlated with less social exclusion and better socio-cultural adaptation. Perceived cultural distance, knowledge of host culture and length of stay was mediated by stereotypes on adaptation outcomes. Interestingly longer sojourn did not lessen the type of stereotype, nor did it reduce cultural distance. Contribution to the stereotype literature and practical understanding of how Chinese sojourners see majority members will be discussed.

East Asia in Slovenia

This special issue of Asian Studies aims to contribute to the field of European global collecting history by opening new vistas in order to readdress some of the unexplored topics. By presenting East Asian material in Slovenia and reconstructing the intercultural contacts between the two territories, it sheds light on the specific position of the Slovenian territory in the history of Euro-Asian exchanges on the threshold of the 20th century.

How International Students’ Acculturation Motivation Develops over Time in an International Learning Environment

This research investigates how the acculturation motivation (AM) of new international students develops over time, and which factors play a role in this development. In the context of a Dutch university, we interviewed 25 students from 17 countries thrice over eight months. The results show that initial AM levels can be categorized as high or low. These AM levels evolved into four patterns in the three interview rounds: high-low-low, high-low-high, low-high-low and low-high-high. After four months, twelve factors emerged as affecting the development of students’ AM levels. Prominent factors were prior international experience, language difficulties, and perceived student identities. After eight months, seven additional factors contributed to subsequent changes in students’ AM levels. Prominent factors were the perceived international learning environment, friendship networks, and teachers’ role in intercultural contact. These imply that universities can introduce target interventions which could improve their international students’ acculturation experiences at specific times.

Assessing attitudes towards mutual acculturation in multicultural schools: Conceptualisation and validation of a four-dimensional mutual acculturation attitudes scale

Assessment of acculturation attitudes usually has focused on the importance of two dimensions: first, immigrants’ maintenance of cultural heritage and, second, immigrants’ adoption of the majority culture. Because acculturation is a reciprocal interaction, we extended a bidimensional scale to four dimensions to assess mutual acculturation. Given the importance of the social context for acculturation and schools as a crucial context for immigrant pupils’ acculturation, the scale extension was validated within the context of school. We hypothesised that acculturation attitudes are held not only towards immigrant pupils but also towards native pupils and towards schools’ responsibility to support intercultural contact. The study sample comprised 364 secondary school pupils in Swiss multicultural schools. Using exploratory structural equation modelling, we validated four distinct dimensions of acculturation attitudes: attitudes towards immigrant pupils’ (a) heritage culture maintenance and (b) adoption of the dominant culture and attitudes towards (c) native pupils acquiring cultural knowledge and (d) schools enabling intercultural contact. We conclude that the proposed four-dimensional scale is a valid tool for assessing attitudes towards mutual acculturation within the school context and that acculturation attitudes are held not only towards immigrant pupils but also towards native pupils and schools.

ОСОБЛИВОСТІ ПОЛІКУЛЬТУРНОГО ВИХОВАННЯ У ВИЩОМУ ВІЙСЬКОВОМУ НАВЧАЛЬНОМУ ЗАКЛАДІ

Purpose. Intensification of intercultural contacts between the representatives of different countries, organizations and companies has caused significant changes in the system of professional training of future specialists in various spheres of human activity. In particular, we are talking about the training of officers of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine. State border crossing points, which are categorized as international, interstate and local, have all the features of a multicultural environment. Taking all this into account, the author of the article draws the attention to the necessity of training future specialists of the border guard service for the activity in the conditions of multicultural environment, on the formation of their valuable attitude to multiculturalism of the world, on the formation and development of toler- ance, on the ability of interethnic communication, communicability, on the ability to find common ground with a com- munication partner, on preventing conflict situations and solving them, on the development of respect for the interlocu- tor. Methodology. For the purpose of qualitative preparation of future specialists of border guard service to act in the conditions of multicultural environment the general scientific and special methods were used in the research. As theo- retical methods we used generalization and systematization of scientific and methodical national and foreign literature on the topic of the research. To find out the attitude of cadets to the cultural diversity of the world, the need to learn the basics of behaviour in situations of cultural intersection, the importance of foreign language skills in our study there were used testing, questioning, surveys and interviews; for statistical data processing – mathematical methods. Results. The article summarizes the results of the analysis of theoretical sources of Ukrainian and foreign scholars on the im- portance of multicultural education, on the formation of skills to properly work in a multicultural environment, as well as on tolerance and the considerable attention is given to its formation in the article. The peculiarities of multicultural training of future specialists of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine for professional activity in the educational environment of the higher military educational institution are presented. Originality. The author draws attention to the importance of the disciplines of the humanities cycle, in particular the foreign (English) language, in the implementa- tion of multicultural education. Sample tasks, the effectiveness of which has been tested in the study, are offered. To increase cognitive interest in multicultural education, the cadets performed creative assignments using their own crea- tivity and the capabilities of the Internet. Considerable attention is paid to such a form of group work as training. Prac- tical value. It has been proven that training provides active interaction between the instructors and the cadets, between the cadets themselves, and increases their (cadets’) creative potential.

Process of Student Adaptation of Culture Shock

Cultural differences may result in culture shock for those engaged in intercultural contact. The student is one example of a student who has encountered culture shock as a result of his or her decision to study in Makassar. The purpose of this research is to ascertain the method by which students adjust to culture shock and the difficulties faced throughout the process

Are we facing a “causality crisis” in acculturation research? The need for a methodological (r)evolution

Acculturation is an inherently causal phenomenon that deals with changes and processes initiated by intercultural contact. However, although more than 13,000 scientific articles to date have been published on a topic related to acculturation, only a small fraction uses data that allow for causal inferences. As a result, our field can be seen as facing a “crisis of causality,” where central theories and models that assume causality between constructs still lack robust empirical support. To address this gap, I provide recommendations for the next generation of acculturation research, emphasizing primarily the need for experimental and longitudinal studies.

Obsidian in the Early Neolithic of the Upper Vistula basin: origin, processing, distribution and use – a case study from Tominy (southern Poland)

Abstract The inflow of the Carpathian obsidian into the areas on the northern side of the Carpathians and the Sudetes is confirmed as early as in the Palaeolithic. However, its greatest intensity occurred in the Early Neolithic, i. e. in the late 6th and in the first half of 5th millennia BC. During that period, the phenomenon was closely related with the development of the Danubian cultural groups in the upper Vistula river basin, including especially Linear Pottery culture (LBK) and Malice Culture. The constant presence of this raw material products in mentioned areas is documented from the classical (musical-note) phase of LBK, constituting one of the most expressive pieces of evidence of permanent and intense intercultural contacts with communities of the northern Carpathian Basin. This phenomenon has been repeatedly emphasized in the literature. One of the most numerous LBK obsidian inventories in the upper Vistula river basin was obtained at site 6 in Tominy, located in southern Poland, in the non-loess zone of the Sandomierz Upland northern foreground. The above-mentioned collection, its non-destructive elemental analysis, using Prompt Gamma Activation Analysis (PGAA) and also traceological analysis, is the subject of this article. The results supplement the published data to a significant extent, simultaneously providing partial verification and updating of the current state of knowledge on the basic issues related to the Early Neolithic obsidian inflow into areas located North of the Carpathians, including primarily the origin of the raw material, the scale of its processing and distribution ways, as well as the range of its use by the LBK communities.

Modernism after Postcolonialism: Toward a Nonterritorial Comparative Literature

Modernism after Postcolonialism: Toward a Nonterritorial Comparative Literature

Understanding Korean Immigrants and Major League Baseball Fandom

Currently, there are more than 40 million immigrants in the United States, and immigrant sports consumers have been considered a significant niche market in the sport industry. In particular, Major League Baseball (MLB) teams have realized that Korean immigrants, along with Japanese immigrants, are among the most attractive Asian immigrant MLB markets in the U.S., because of their large populations in the U.S. and the popularity of baseball in their native countries (Kim & Jeon, 2008). However, there has been limited research regarding Asian immigrants’ team identification with MLB teams. The theoretical framework of this study is drawn from acculturation theory (Berry, 1997) and social identity theory (Tajfel, 1982). Berry defines acculturation as “the general processes and outcomes (both cultural and psychological) of intercultural contact” (Berry, p. 8). Acculturation theory has been widely used to explain the adaptation patterns of immigrants to a new society. This theory further explains not only how immigrants evolve in new cultural contexts resulting from migration, but also how they retain their original cultural contexts and beliefs while in their new society (Berry, 1997). According to Berry (1980), there are four types of acculturation strategies: integration, assimilation, separation, and marginalization. These four acculturation strategies differ according to immigrants’ efforts to adapt to new cultural contexts as well as the extent of their relationships with their new as well as with their old societies. Social identity theory (Tajfel, 1982) is a useful theoretical framework for team identification. Social identity is defined as “the part of the individual’s self-concept which derives from their knowledge of their membership in a social group together with the value and emotional significance attached to that membership (p.2)”. Team identification research has been developed based on social identity theory and identity theory (Kwon, Trail, & James, 2007). Team identification is an extension of self-identity that results from a sports fan’s psychological connection to a team (Fink, Trail, & Anderson, 2002). The purpose of this study is to understand the Major League Baseball fandom of Korean immigrants by exploring factors associated with recent Korean immigrants’ team identification with MLB teams in the U.S.

Investigating direct and indirect globalization-based acculturation

Cultural globalization affects most people around the world in contemporary, modern societies. The resulting intercultural contact have been examined using the theory of globalization-based acculturation. However, little is known about possible differences and similarities in processes underlying the effects of direct (e.g., through contact with immigrants) and indirect (e.g., engagement with cultural elements through media) forms of new cultural exposure. Drawing on the contact hypothesis, social identity theory, and symbolic threat theory, we examined whether perceived intercultural threat and local and global identities would explain whether both forms of contact result in multicultural acquisition or in ethnic protection. In Study 1 (N = 402), indirect, but not direct, intercultural contact was positively associated with multicultural acquisition; and both types of intercultural contact were negatively linked with ethnic protection. Global identity significantly mediated the association of both direct and indirect intercultural contact with both multicultural acquisition and ethnic protection, whereas perceived cultural threat only significantly mediated the associations of direct intercultural contact with multicultural acquisition and ethnic protection. In Study 2 (N = 424), higher levels of ethnic protection, and lower levels of multicultural acquisition, emerged in the experimental group primed with indirect, versus direct, intercultural contact. Furthermore, intercultural threat was negatively, and global identity positively, associated with multicultural acquisition, while intercultural threat was positively, and global identity negatively, associated with ethnic protection. Results are discussed in relation to similarities and differences across direct and indirect intercultural contact, providing a nuanced understanding of contemporary intercultural contact and globalization-based acculturation among majority populations.