Abstract
This study tests the process of deculturation as identified in adaptation theory. The context used here is reentry into one’s previous culture. If the theoretical descriptions of deculturation are accurate, one would expect those who have adapted to another culture to experience issues of relearning upon return to the original culture. Subjects consisted of returned missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (afterward referred to as "LDS") who had spent 18 months or 2 years completely immersed in a foreign culture. Using an open-ended survey method, responses were coded and compared statistically. Results do not support deculturation, providing an argument for the sedimentation of cultural functioning.
Keywords: deculturation, LDS, adaptation, culture
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In this study we compare the situation of two minorities, the San people of Botswana and the Travellers in Norway. We want to explore how their way of life, their culture, travelling then want to show how knowledge of resilience and protective factors can be important for the survival and development of minority cultures in general and for the life and education of children in
particular.
Keywords resilience, indigenous people, minorities, San people, Travellers, cross-cultural, comparative education
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This paper analyses the ways in which professional migrants from different cultural backgrounds, using English as an Additional Language, manage the demands of constructing a positive professional identity while also negotiating the complex relational aspects of workplace talk. The well-established methodology of the Wellington Language in the Workplace Project was used to collect relevant data from migrant workers interacting in professional New Zealand organisations. The analysis focuses on the socio-pragmatic strategies used by two skilled migrants to manage identity construction through social and transactional aspects of workplace interaction. The implications of their different approaches to the challenge are
discussed.
Keywords: workplace discourse, intercultural interaction, socio-pragmatic competence, professional identity, relational talk.
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Abstract
Samoa and American Samoa provide researchers a unique opportunity to explore acculturation and intercultural communication practices. However, this region has been the focus of comparatively few studies. This case study of Samoan chiefs provides insight into the way a culture has adapted its discourse practices to include those who have immigrated to other countries. By comparing the structure, context, and function of chiefs’ communication practices both in and out of Samoa, a picture of cultural adaptations emerges.
Keywords: Samoa, acculturation, cultural discourse analysis Back to startAbstract
This article examines cross-cultural web radio use of university students coming from strictly distinguishable countries (Turkey and the Netherlands) with respect to both cultural characteristics and the development of the radio cultures. Our research builds on a conceptual framework combining two interrelated variable sets: Cultural value orientations and the factors determining the formation of radio culture in these countries. The proposed conceptual framework is used to interpret the data derived from qualitative analysis that employs a multi-method approach based on a three-step procedure: pre-experience, experience and post-experience. As a result, this study concludes that despite some evident distinctive practices found at user experience level, the use and understanding of the web radio seems to be pressing towards a standardized listening practice characterized by customizable
music box.
Keywords: Culture, Web, Radio, Cultural Variables, Cross-cultural
Abstract
This study examines ideologically driven intertextual borrowings in political discourse in light of political events related to the Middle East. Its primary concern is to explore the ideological struggle and power relations governing the production of political text. For this purpose, this study analyses a variety of texts on the Middle East in both Arabic and English. These texts are analyzed through a multi-dimensional approach of Critical Discourse Analysis. It is argued that what sometimes seems to be an innocent and neutral historical reference, including quotations, hides much more dynamism and involvement that is not less ideologically driven than directly stated stances.
Keywords: intertextuality; Middle East; political discourse; moral ambivalence; ideology; religion
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This study examines how overseas Chinese in the U.S used their online narratives to articulate their individual identities, and to form a shared group identity. What is more, during April 2008, rallies and protests were organized by these online discussion groups. The analysis of participants’ narratives demonstrates the emancipatory potential of the Internet, that is, online discussion helps members of a marginalized group form a united identity to resist existing power, and to facilitate their collective actions in the real world.
The narrative analysis also shows that although individuals are empowered by the online discussions, and are privileged to question any social or political issue, their choices of standing point are shaped by their social positions and cultural background. The constraining factors (socioeconomic position, cultural background, reality tensions, etc.), through online discourse, are gradually transformed into the common ground of overseas Chinese’s online group identity.
Keywords: Online discussion, Identity narratives, Overseas Chinese