Multicultural Contact Research Articles

Postcolonial multiplicities: indigeneity in flux

This qualitative study explores the complex journey of Māori (Indigenous peoples of New Zealand) indigeneity in a postcolonial and multicultural context. The experiences and perspectives of elderly Māori individuals affiliated by kinship to Ngāti Hei (a Māori tribe, eastern Coromandel Peninsula, North Island, New Zealand) are examined through interviews. Interpretative phenomenological analysis highlights psychosocial and psychospiritual themes of identity and belonging. The study discusses the challenges contemporary Māori face in reconnecting with their cultural heritage and the impact of colonisation on Māori identity formation. It highlights embracing the spiritual domain of Māoriness and engaging in cultural hybridity to foster a deeper sense of identity and belonging. The findings suggest that Māori identity transcends rigid categorisations and that a dynamic understanding of Māoriness is essential, offering seeds of a potential framework for navigating the third space, where multicultural contact and interaction can give rise to new and inclusive forms of Māori identity.

‘Am I both or not?’: The role of perceived societal norms of multiculturalism in negotiating bicultural identities

AbstractThe present study explored the role of perceived societal norms of multiculturalism in the engagement of cultural identity styles (hybridising‐HIS and altenating‐AIS) and, in turn, their impact on bicultural identity consolidation and cultural identity conflict. We examined 293 Chinese Americans' perceptions about the extent to which culturally diverse groups are in contact with one another (multicultural contact); whether diversity is valued and appreciated (multicultural ideology); and whether there are policies and practices that support and accommodate diversity (multicultural policies and practices) in the United States. Results from a path analysis showed that multicultural ideology was negatively associated with AIS and cultural identity conflict. Multicultural contact was positively associated with HIS and bicultural identity consolidation. Multicultural policies and practices had no significant associations. The findings underscore the important role of perceived societal acceptance of multicultural ideology and perceived norms of multicultural contact in managing cultural identities. Furthermore, the study highlights that perceived multiculturalism norms as societal‐level factors combined with individual‐level cultural identity styles can influence the identity outcomes of multicultural individuals. Further research into the role of perceived societal norms for both majority and cultural minority individuals in identity integration is warranted.

听中国相关课程的大学生的多文化接受度根据个人变因的不同与共情能力、自我尊重感的关系研究: 以N大学为中心

The purpose of this study was to confirm the relationship between individual background factors, self-respect, empathy, and intercultural sensitivity of the college students who listen to the courses related to China. Therefore, the researchers surveyed N University students who took public elective courses related to China in the first semester of 2023. 115 valid questionnaires were collected. SPSS 25 was used to analyze the data and process the data. The results showed that intercultural sensitivity varies according to individual background variables (sex, expatriate experience). Therefore, it is effective to increase the intercultural sensitivity of college students by increasing their opportunities for multicultural contact. In addition, there is a correlation between intercultural sensitivity and self-respect and empathy. In particular, intercultural sensitivity was more influenced by self-respect than empathy. In other words, it can improve the self-respect and intercultural sensitivity of college students at the same time to achieve the same effect with half an effort. The sample size of this study is relatively small, so the results of this study have great limitations. It needs to be further confirmed through a wide range of studies.

A socio-ecological perspective on psychological well-being in a culturally diverse context: The role of perceived national multicultural norms

The research examined perceived national norms for multiculturalism, Multicultural Contact (MC), Multicultural Ideology (MI) and Multicultural Policies and Practices (MPP), as associated with well-being in a community sample. One hundred and twenty-five British Indians and 250 British Whites completed an online survey with measures of Normative Multiculturalism, belonging, and psychological well-being (positive affect, flourishing, and life satisfaction). A multi-group mediational model was tested with direct and indirect (via belonging) paths to well-being. Results demonstrated significant direct and indirect associations of MC on well-being for Indians and indirect associations for Whites. MPP produced the same indirect pathways, but only for Indians. MI was not significantly related either to belonging or well-being. The findings are discussed in relation to broader theorizing on multiculturalism and their practical implications in the British socio-political context.

Assessing Cultural Intelligence and Its Antecedents in the Portuguese Higher Education Context

The concept of cultural intelligence has been the object of increasing attention from the scientific community due to its importance in a globalized world. To fulfil their mission, higher education institutions need individuals capable of effectively interacting with others who come from different cultural backgrounds. This study analyzes the level of cultural intelligence and its background in a Portuguese engineering higher education institution. This study used a cultural intelligence scale and applied it to a sample of 445 participants. The results show that individuals in this Portuguese institution have an interesting level of awareness of others’ cultural preferences. However, particular attention should be paid to improving the outcome of the cognitive dimension. The results show the potential of international experiences and activities that foster cultural exposure. Consequently, the managers of institutions should make efforts to promote Erasmus programs or similar internships abroad. In addition, they should promote activities that foster multicultural contact, whether extracurricular activities or multicultural clubs or associations, meetings, lectures or classes with appropriate pedagogical methodologies, for example, experiential or collaborative teaching.

A “Hired Girl” Testifies Against the “Son of a Prominent Family”: Bastardy and Rape on the Nineteenth-Century Nebraska Plains

Abstract In Red Cloud, Nebraska, in 1887, Anna “Annie” Sadilek (later Pavelka) pressed bastardy charges against the “son of a prominent family,” even though she could have, according to her pre-trial testimony, pressed charges for rape. To the literary world, Sadilek is better known as Ántonia Shimerda, the powerful protagonist in Willa Cather’s 1918 novel, My Ántonia. However, it is Sadilek’s real-life experience that allows us to better understand life on the Nebraska Plains, specifically through an examination of the state’s rape laws and the ways these laws were subsequently interpreted by the courts. The Nebraska Supreme Court, between 1877 and 1886, established the need for the state to prove force as a primary component of the definition for rape, drew boundaries around acceptable reporting times, and solidified their stance on the requirement of corroborating testimony. These factors led Sadilek to charge Charley Kaley not with rape but with bastardy, a civil suit, which almost guaranteed a successful outcome for Sadilek and her child because it would not burden the county or state with their financial welfare. In analyzing Sadilek’s choices before the law, this article demonstrates the complexities of the gendered legal systems facing women like Sadilek who sought justice for crimes of a sexual nature. Additionally significant, this article draws attention to a space and place that lacks significant study in regard to the sexual power dynamics of the nineteenth-century Great Plains West, a multicultural contact zone highly susceptible to the influences of hypermasculine control.

Age Group Analysis of The Relationship between Direct / Indirect Multicultural Contact Experience and Multicultural Acceptance

Age Group Analysis of The Relationship between Direct / Indirect Multicultural Contact Experience and Multicultural Acceptance

Internationalism, migration, and education: Pluralistic disposition in multilingual and multicultural contact zones—Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus

AbstractCyprus has always witnessed an influx of refugees and migrants as a conflict and contact zone and become a destination country for many international students for the last two decades. In the age of an unprecedented diversity and accentuated internationalist theories worldwide, pluralistic pedagogies embellished with nationally monoglossic discourses have become iconized pressing trends in education precipitating a dichotomous doom‐loop vis‐à‐vis multifaceted parameters of learning environments. Linking critical race theory with internationalism, document analysis, semi‐structured interviews, field notes, observations, and informal chats were deployed for an elaborated scrutiny of students’ perspectives through a normative‐humanistic lens. The results signified that in conflictual contexts, policy‐making may surpass basic humanistic norms such as equity and social justice where parental involvement, sustainable integration, discursive ideological orientations, coproduction among stakeholders, Western‐propelled content revision, preparatory language courses, and teacher education predominantly reconceptualize indispensable aspects of curricula. The findings are especially conspicuous for social partners, policy‐makers, and educators.

A ‘Lost’ Panel and a Missing Link: Angelos Bitzamanos and the Case of the Scottivoli Altarpiece for the Church of San Francesco Delle Scale in Ancona

In his will, dating from 1490, the nobleman Francesco Scottivoli from Ancona ordered his heirs to erect a chapel in his memory at the church of San Francesco delle Scale, and have it adorned with a painted altarpiece, executed in 1508 by a painter of Greek origin residing in Ancona. In the late 18th-century a full-scale renovation of the church resulted to the dissolution of the Scottivoli chapel and the removal of the painted altarpiece, which was subsequently lost and has been considered missing ever since. This article aims to identify the long-missing Scottivoli altarpiece and determine the identity of its creator based on the re-evaluation of previously published sources and the discovery of unpublished archival and visual material. In light of this new information, this study interprets the Scottivoli altarpiece within the context of the intense cross-cultural transfer that took place in the multicultural contact zone of the early modern Eastern Mediterranean and Adriatic Seas.

How normative multiculturalism relates to immigrant well-being.

In this study we examine the relationship between contextual factors, that is, perceived multicultural norms, and immigrant well-being. Specifically, we test a model whereby each of the three dimensions of normative multiculturalism, perceived Multicultural Ideology, Multicultural Policies and Practices, and Multicultural Contact, positively predicts immigrant well-being both directly and indirectly via belongingness. Korean immigrants in New Zealand (N = 306, 56% female) participated in the research. Their average age was 31.17 (SD = 10.46), and the average length of residence was 10.04 years (SD = 7.21). Participants completed a survey that included the Normative Multiculturalism Scale along with measures of belonging and well-being (flourishing, life satisfaction, and positive affect). Structural equation modeling showed that perceived normative Multicultural Policies and Practices exerted a direct positive effect on well-being and an indirect positive effect via belongingness; Multicultural Ideology exerted only an indirect effect; and Multicultural Contact did not significantly relate to belongingness or subjective well-being. The results are discussed in terms of everyday experiences of intercultural encounters, social norms and the contextual influences of diversity climates, as well as the importance of distinguishing the defining features of multiculturalism in diversity science research. We also propose that multicultural norm setting and norms marketing may lead to positive social and psychological outcomes for immigrants. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

중학생의 다문화접촉경험, 인지적 유연성, 편견 및 다문화적태도와의 관계

본 연구는 다문화적태도에 영향을 미치는 변인들 가운데 다문화접촉경험, 인지적 유연성, 편견을 중심으로 하여 이들 간의 관계를 살펴보고자 하였다. 더 나아가 인지적 유연성과 다문화태도와의 관계에서 편견의 매개효과를 살펴보고, 편견과 다문화적태도 간의 관계에서 다문화접촉경험이 조절효과를 나타내는지 알아보고자 하였다. 이를 위해 A광역시의 3개 중학교 학생 455명(남학생 85명, 여학생 370명)을 대상으로 자기보고식 설문조사를 실시하였다. 연구결과는 다음과 같다. 첫째, 각 변인들 간의 상관관계를 살펴보면 인지적 유연성의 하위변인인 통제를 제외한 대부분의 하위변인들이 각각 서로 유의미한 상관을 보였다. 둘째, 인지적 유연성의 대안 요인과 다문화적태도와의 관계에서 편견이 매개효과를 나타내었다. 셋째, 편견이 다문화적태도에 미치는 영향은 다문화접촉경험에 의해 조절되었다. 넷째, 인지적 유연성의 대안 요인이 편견을 매개로 하여 다문화적태도에 미치는 경로에서 다문화접촉경험은 편견과 다문화적태도 간의 관계를 조절하였다. 본 연구의 결과를 토대로 상담 및 교육현장에 실제적인 의의 및 시사점, 그리고 제한점을 제시하였다.

Does normative multiculturalism foster or threaten social cohesion?

The study advances a tri-dimensional model of multiculturalism that highlights the importance of perceived societal norms, i.e., the extent to which one’s society is perceived as characterized by culturally diverse groups in contact with one another (Multicultural Contact, MC), a widespread appreciation of cultural diversity (Multicultural Ideology, MI), and multicultural policies and practices (MPP) to support and accommodate that diversity. A community sample of 143 Hispanics and 141 non-Hispanic Whites in the United States completed an online survey that examined perceptions of normative MC, MI and MPP as predictors of trust and national attachment, key indicators of social cohesion. The results indicated that MI, MC and MPP predict greater national attachment and that MI predicts greater trust; however, the positive effects of MI are limited to Hispanics and not found for Whites. The findings point to the conclusion that normative multiculturalism is more likely to foster than to threaten social cohesion.

Cultural intelligence as education contents: Exploring the pedagogical aspects of effective functioning in higher education

SummaryAcademic discussions on cultural intelligence (CQ) are now paying attention to their potential utilization from various angles. The field of study is expanded not only in business administration but also in psychology, education, tourism, communication, and arts. This is due to the widespread study of global communication competence in multicultural situations because of the deepening of globalization. In this paper, we try to find a way to utilize cultural intelligence model proposed by David Livermore. The aim is to develop education contents for the improvement of cultural intelligence of university students. The target is limited to university students and aims to develop education contents to enhance their cultural intelligence. The main purpose of the study was to measure and analyze the cultural intelligence of university students. For that, the level of cultural intelligence of Korean university freshmen was measured and analyzed. The individual level of the four areas constituting the cultural intelligence was identified, and the difference between the male and female was examined. At the same time, the differences in cultural intelligence were analyzed according to the duration of multicultural contact and experience in the case of foreign language lectures taught by foreigners. Finally, we analyzed how the correlation between the four areas that comprise cultural intelligence is occurring, and as a result, the content and results of this study are expected to be an important foundation for the direction of future development of education contents in universities.

The Pirates’ Perspective. Geopolitics, Interstices, and Detours in The Gold Bug (Alejo Moguillansky and Fia-Stina Sandlund, 2014)

El escarabajo de oro/The Gold Bug is a film made of detours. This commissioned film was conceived as an international North-South collaboration. The original intent nevertheless changed shape in the process, which produced a chain reaction of variations: this straying in turn shapes a narrative that proliferates endlessly through metonymical forms. The itinerary of making this film encapsulates the conflicts between the aspirations of an independently produced cinema and the imperatives of international subsidies, as well as those between the identity of national cinemas and transnational horizons.The film’s opening credits announce that the movie draws inspiration from Poe’s short story of the same title, and also from Treasure Island, which it “adapts to the screen from the point of view of pirates.” This corsair’s perspective affords a strategy to slip into the interstices of collaborative modes and eschew the impositions of paternalism in the demands of funding bodies. The Gold Bug fully inhabits this multicultural contact zone that is contemporary cinema; still, despite its questioning of essentialist notions of national identity, it relies on cultural stereotypes which it deploys in a satirical vein, as it singles out the persistence of geopolitical differences and discusses the limits of the redistribution that transnational networks are thought to enable.

The subway as fourth place: anomie, flânerie and the “crush of persons”

Sociologically speaking, what kind of place is the subway? If urbanism is defined as the experience of being surrounded by strangers, then the subway is a quintessentially urban space. But social scientists remain polarized in their views of this space, alternately describing the subway as an antisocial environment, a liminal “non-place”, or a space of multicultural contact. In this paper, we describe the social life of the subway, analyzing an original data-set compiled through detailed observations of the behavior of more than 4,000 passengers on the New York City subway system. We use logistic regression to model the factors that influence how passengers direct their gaze and configure their bodies while riding mass transit, and interpret our results with the help of “subway diaries” kept by 18 research subjects over the course of a week. Our findings help to reconcile conflicting images of social interaction in crowded transportation spaces: the subway is a “fourth place”: a utilitarian space in which context-specific norms serve to flatten social distinctions, allowing a passive form of social contact constrained by the presence and prevalence of other passengers in the subway car.

Influence of Multicultural contact Experience and Ethnocultural Empathy on Multicultural acceptance among Nursing Students

Influence of Multicultural contact Experience and Ethnocultural Empathy on Multicultural acceptance among Nursing Students

Influence of Multicultural contact Experience on the Relationship between Social Distance and Multicultural Acceptance among Nursing Students.

Influence of Multicultural contact Experience on the Relationship between Social Distance and Multicultural Acceptance among Nursing Students.

The multicultural experience of international students in Portugal: a narrative approach

PurposeThe aim of this paper is to explore qualitatively and holistically the experience of international students in the context of Portuguese higher education. This paper interrogates the potential that an experience abroad provides for multicultural learning and for enhancing interaction between students with different cultural backgrounds.Design/methodology/approachTo provide depth to the understanding of their experiences abroad, the narratives of 12 international students in Portugal were constructed and analysed interpretatively. The findings presented in this paper result from a solid set of data based on 41 interviews with an average duration of two hours each.FindingsRegarding students’ levels of multicultural contact, the findings presented in this paper are not consistent with previous research literature which indicates a tendency for segregation among international and local students. Aside from one exception, all the interviewed students were rather comfortable to interact with their local peers and even established meaningful friendships with them. Concerning students’ learning throughout the sojourn, the findings indicate that the experience of living in a different country provides numerous opportunities for multicultural learning.Research limitations/implicationsEven though the findings suggest that multicultural learning is part of international students’ lives, it is beyond the scope of this paper to identify institutional strategies to further support students’ learning.Originality/valueThe study adds to knowledge production in the field of multicultural education by bringing data from Portugal, a country seldom approached in the research literature.

Empowering youth sport and acculturation: Examining the hosts’ perspective in Greek adolescents

ObjectivesResearch on the role of sport as a context for the acculturation of young migrants has mainly focused on migrant populations. Considering that acculturation is a two-way process involving both the migrant and the host populations, research investigating the perspective of the hosts will enhance our understanding of the acculturation process. The purpose of the present study was to explore acculturation attitudes and perceptions of adolescents from the host population as a function of sport participation. Furthermore, for those adolescents participating in sport, the role of the sport motivational climate and its relation to acculturation attitudes was investigated. Design and MethodA cross-sectional quantitative design was adopted. Participants were 626 (316 girls) Greek, high school students (13.88 ± 1.01 years of age). Among them, 271 (92 girls) were athletes competing in individual and team sports. While all participants completed measures of acculturation attitudes, the athletes additionally completed measures of motivational climate, basic need satisfaction, and controlling coaching behavior. ResultsAthletes scored higher than non-athletes on attitudes towards multicultural contact. Analysis of structural models revealed that a motivational climate characterized by a mastery climate, supportive of the needs of autonomy, competence, and relatedness, was positively linked to attitudes favoring migrants’ maintenance of their culture and development of interaction with the host culture, whereas a motivational climate characterized by a performance climate and controlling coaching behavior was negatively linked to such attitudes. ConclusionThese findings provide useful insights concerning the perspectives of the host population regarding migrants’ acculturation and the role motivational climate play in promoting integration.

Metaculture: The Model of Future Cross-Cultural Foreign Language Education?

Regarding the priorities of present day intercultural communication (the situation of multicultural contact, the dialogue of civilizations, interpersonal base of communication, the “global citizen” phenomenon, etc.), the article outlines the rationale of the necessity to consider metaculture as a conceptual framework (and its sequence) of intercultural dialogue and thus predetermined intercultural foreign-language education. Intercultural dialogue can be generally defined as an inductive reciprocal meaning-making process functioning to defeat expectancies on the borderline of cultural habitats, the catalyst being the personal awareness of the communicant. Metaculture, being the result and the state of this dialogue, is the state of evolving awareness aiming to bridge the gaps of cultural borders, conditioned by the cases of national identity. The article presents the comparative analysis of metaculture (S.E. Yachin), interculture (V.A. Belyaev), transculture (M.N. Epstein), the third culture (Fred L. Carsnir) theories to figure out their complementary character. Culture within an intercultural contact is thus interpreted as based on self- and co-constructing evolution of the communicants, which allows it to reach the meta-level of self-awareness of a cultural identity, postulating itself as an object of reflection. Metaculture determines the goal-setting and helps select the contents of intercultural foreign-language edu-cation. The prospects of further investigation of metaculture within intercultural foreign-language education, however, appear challenging.