ERIC Number: EJ826658
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2008-Dec
Pages: 19
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0018-716X
EISSN: N/A
"I Am a Human Being like You": An Identification Strategy to Maintain Continuity in a Cultural Contact Zone
O'Sullivan-Lago, Ria; de Abreu, Guida; Burgess, Mark
Human Development, v51 n5-6 p349-367 Dec 2008
In this article, we discuss a qualitative study carried out in a cultural contact zone. Irish nationals, immigrants, and asylum seekers in Cork, Ireland, were interviewed about their cultural identities and future trajectories. Cultural Continuity theory was used as a model to offer an insight into the processes and strategies of the Dialogical Self. The results suggest that the development of a cultural contact zone caused a break in cultural continuity which aroused uncertainty. Our analytical focus is on one of the strategies that enabled the individuals to alleviate that uncertainty. The suggestive preliminary results are that each participant, within each group, utilized their dialogical "I as a human being" identity position to maintain continuity. The function of this strategy and the theoretical integration are discussed.
Descriptors: Immigrants, Identification, Cultural Differences, Developmental Continuity, Foreign Countries, Interviews, Qualitative Research, Theories
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Ireland
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A