Start Date
28-4-2011 6:00 PM
End Date
28-4-2011 8:30 PM
Description
Abstract: This study examines acculturation attitudes of Karen refugees who are resettled in London, Ontario. Deriving on the data collected from 50 Karen refugees, various orientations of acculturation are discussed and the correlations between psychological health, identity, and acculturation are analyzed in order to identify certain patterns that are predictive of integration.
Included in
Community-Based Research Commons, Inequality and Stratification Commons, Politics and Social Change Commons, Race and Ethnicity Commons
Acculturation and Crisis of Identity: A Case Study of Karen Refugees
Abstract: This study examines acculturation attitudes of Karen refugees who are resettled in London, Ontario. Deriving on the data collected from 50 Karen refugees, various orientations of acculturation are discussed and the correlations between psychological health, identity, and acculturation are analyzed in order to identify certain patterns that are predictive of integration.
Comments
Summary: Acculturation is defined as “the dual process of cultural and psychological change that takes place as a result of contact between two or more cultural groups and their individual members”(Berry 2005, p. 798). According to many scholars in the field of cultural intergroup relationships, newcomers generally choose one of four acculturation strategies: separation, marginalization, assimilation and integration (Berry, 1980). Integration enables the individual to reach a synthesis between the culture of origin and the new host culture and it is cherished as a policy in Canada. In this line, our research examines acculturation attitudes of Karen refugees and the effects of identity issues on variations of acculturation attitudes.
50 Karen refugees between 16-50 ages completed a survey about acculturation attitudes, identity issues, and psychological health. The exploratory factor analysis gave 3 factors indicating that the Karens had different orientations and choices regarding “customs and values”, “social relations”, and “leisure activities”. Cluster analysis grouped individuals into three clusters: Segregated group, integrated group, and assimilated group. Karens in the integration cluster preserved their values and customs while they were open to change and experiment with new leisure activities and social relations. Ordinal regression analysis showed that refugees experiencing identity crisis, loss in sense of temporal continuity, and psychological problems were significantly less likely to integrate or acculturate than the others who had resolved their identity crisis and had a sense of continuity between their past, present and future.