Mutual Intercultural Relations

Description

In culturally diverse societies, one of the biggest questions on our minds is 'how shall we all live together?' Mutual Intercultural Relations offers an answer to this fundamental and topical issue. By exploring intercultural relationships between dominant/national and non-dominant/ethnic populations in seventeen societies around the world, the contributors are each able to chart the respective views of those populations and to generate 'general' principles of intercultural relations. The research reported in this book is guided by three psychological hypotheses which are evaluated by empirical research: multiculturalism, contact and integration. It was also carried out comparatively in order to gain knowledge about intercultural relations that may be general and not limited to a few social and political contexts. Understanding these general principles will offer help in the development of public policies and programmes designed to improve the quality of intercultural relations in culturally diverse societies around the world.

John W. Berry is an Emeritus Professor at Queen's University, Ontario, and a Chief Research Fellow at the National Research University Higher School of Economics, Moscow. He received Honorary Doctorates from the University of Athens and Universite de Geneve, and has published over thirty books in the areas of cross-cultural and intercultural psychology with various colleagues. He is a Fellow of the Canadian Psychological Association, the Netherlands Institute for Advanced Study, the International Association for Cross-Cultural Psychology, and the International Academy for Intercultural Research. His main research interests are in the role of culture in human development and in acculturation and intercultural relations, with an emphasis on applications to immigration, multiculturalism, educational, and health policy.

'This book offers a remarkable collection of contributions focussed on the critical issue of intercultural relations within multiethnic societies. Relations between dominant majorities and ethnic minorities are empirically compared across seventeen societies characterized on the basis of their cultural diversity and integration policies. Collaborators in each setting empirically tested the multiculturalism, contact and integration hypotheses resulting in a fascinating and intellectually stimulating book that sets the stage for the next decade of research in the field.' Richard Y. Bourhis, Emeritus Professor, Universite du Quebec a Montreal 'The contemporary geopolitical world will embrace this important book. The underlying theme is 'How shall we all live together?' The substantial Mutual Intercultural Relations project, reported herein, combines the experience of John W. Berry, a renowned expert in this area, and the enthusiastic cooperation of scholars in seventeen pluralistic societies.' Walter J. Lonner, Western Washington University 'A unique compendium of psychological theory and research on acculturation and intercultural relations that examines the process and outcomes of intercultural contact - not only in terms of mutual and reciprocal perspectives, but also across a wide range of economic and socio-political contexts. Spanning sixteen countries, this impressive collection offers practical insights into 'cultures in contact' and provides a valuable resource for researchers in the field.' Colleen Ward, Victoria University, Wellington