Attitude toward Multiculturalism: Majority in the Minority Perspective

Even within a globalizing world, Luxembourg takes an exceptional position with a foreign population of 44%. In the capital of Luxembourg, home to one-fifth of the country’s population, native members make up only 33% of the population. Outwardly the cosmopolitan diversity is praised, but how does the native population, which finds itself in the minority in its own capital, perceive this increasingly plural composition of society? To investigate this specific “majority-as-minority” perspective, we conducted a quantitative study within a Luxembourg employer (N = 507) with a large native-born workforce. We examined the endorsement of multiculturalism with an adapted version of the Multicultural Ideology Scale and the Societal Participation Subscale of the Multicultural Attitude Scale. We tested the relationships between the endorsement of multiculturalism and demographic variables and different forms of culture contact experiences. The results show that most respondents endorse the idea of a plural society. However, the results also show reluctance towards specific societal participation measures of the allochthonous population. In addition, we found a slight gender effect, with women showing higher endorsement of multiculturalism, but no age effect. Support for multiculturalism is also tied to the educational level achieved. Finally, direct culture contact, operationalized as composition of circle of friends, is also conducive to endorsement of multiculturalism. We discuss the results within an acculturation context, in which majority– minority relationships become increasingly fluid and cultural diversity is positively evaluated and accepted as a norm; conversely, specific behavioral aspects of living together are yet to be aligned

Bachelor Study Programms of Psychology: Moving towards more culture-inclusive curricula

One facet of contemporary societies is their increasingly diverse composition. To what extent has this diversity entered the teaching of psychology to undergraduate students? The Bologna Process created the European Higher Education Area, defining qualifications and learning outcomes and making higher-education qualifications in Europe comparable. Study programs need to meet the standards and guidelines for the quality assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG 2015). In addition, national psychological associations such as the German Association for Psychology (DGPs) introduce a special catalogue of course content, study programs need to comply with to achieve quality control accreditation. The field is constantly expanding with pressure to include the latest developments, for example in the field of neuro-cognitive sciences. This makes for already very tight curricula – yet how can we enhance the awareness of and increase the competences in dealing with ethnic and cultural diversity in the next generation of psychology students? Possible avenues of building a culture-inclusive curriculum will be shown by building on the analysis of the cultural content of introductory psychology textbooks. An extensive analysis of the cultural content of introductory psychology textbooks has shown that it is possible to integrate cultural references into all topics taught in psychology. There are different ways to do so – options will be presented and discussed as well as examples of good practice provided. Importantly, teaching of culture is not relegated to specialized courses – cultural examples can be cited in any subfield or facet of psychology. In addition, some examples on how to include the cultural lens will be provided from the Bachelor of Psychology Program (BAP) taught at the University of Luxembourg. These examples are thought as impulses for a discussion towards more inclusive teaching of psychology in an increasingly diverse European cultural context

Multicultural society - multiple ways to negotiate identity

The 21st century has been called the “age of migration” (Castles & Miller, 2009). International migration is a growing phenomenon, both in terms of scope and complexity and affects virtually all countries in the world (United Nations, 2009). The global migration system has changed over recent decades with regard to origins and destinations for migration. In the 20th century, Europe was a major area for emigration, but has now become a target for immigration, with most European countries, including Iceland, hosting significant minority immigrant populations. In Luxembourg, nearly half of the population is foreign – the foreign population percentage currently stands at 48%. Within this context majority and minority become fluid with the migration process itself being fluid, ranging from daily migration (transnational commuters), to medium-term stays, return visits and permanent immigration including uptake of citizenship. Within such a plurally composed society, culture contact is a permanent feature in daily life. Nationality becomes a salient feature as culture contact tends to prompt reflection, resulting in questioning and (re-)negotiation of national identity. This affects both the native and the diverse immigrant population – with diversity going beyond the level of country of origin as many individuals have very complex biographies. Using multicultural, multilingual Luxembourg as a case study example, I will present examples for the construal process of national identity for different groups, illustrating how (national) identity is negotiated at individual level. As can be expected, the identity construal process becomes more complex within a multicultural context

Towards an understanding of biculturalism: The dynamic tension of being bicultural

One facet of contemporary societies is their increasingly diverse composition – a consequence of accelerated movement of people across the globe. There is a growing number of individuals who are living with more than one cultural influence. This requires new theoretical understanding of biculturalism. How do individuals with significant and prolonged second culture exposure negotiate their cultural identities? Past research has relied on additive models, which conceptualize biculturalism simply as the sum of their cultural experiences, emphasizing the relative influence of each culture. The transformative theory of biculturalism goes beyond this model by focusing on the process of negotiation (hybridization, integrating and frame switching) recognizing that this process itself is already transforming the cultural experience. I will present a theory of biculturalism as a self-stabilizing tensegrity network. Previous models fall short in understanding the process of bicultural identity construal. Building on Dialogical Self theory and the idea of tensional integrity or tensegrity (Marsico & Tateo, 2017) I will show how applying such a framework captures the everyday reality of those living in a boundary-crossing world. Human beings are involved in constant positioning and counter-positioning the forms of which go beyond simple dual systems views – a co-genetic logic being more appropriate allowing for a third way. Tension may lead to a dialectical synthesis—a concept that will be elaborated in concrete ways. Tension is viewed as a positive force, stabilizing the self and at the same time dynamic allowing for the emergence of a qualitatively new whole

The Multicultural Ideology Scale (MIS): Factor structure and measurement invariance

The concept of multiculturalism has been widely used in cross-cultural research to describe positive attitudes towards a culturally plural society and practices that support cultural diversity. To date, attitudes towards multiculturalism among majority and minority group members have been assessed with the same instruments. However, there is little psychometric evidence that these measures operate appropriately in various cultural contexts. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the factor structure of the Multicultural Ideology Scale (MIS; Berry & Kalin, 1995) and test its measurement invariance across different language versions and ethnic groups. The entire sample consisted of 1572 adolescents and adults in Luxembourg, including native majority members (N = 693) and immigrants from diverse ethnic backgrounds (N = 879). Participants were given the option to complete the questionnaire in one of the following languages: English, German or French. The unidimensional model of multicultural ideology did not show an acceptable fit of the data across all language versions of the MIS. Exploratory and confirmatory factorial analyses revealed a two-factor structure, which was partially invariant across two different language versions (English and German). The two factors reflected positive and negative attitudes towards cultural diversity respectively. Subsequent multigroup confirmatory factor analyses supported configural and metric invariance across majority and minority group members. Scalar invariance was not established, indicating that respondents across these two groups conceptualize multiculturalism in different ways. Implications of these findings are discussed together with methodological issues concerning the assessment of measurement invariance

Multicultural societies - and the disappearance of culture?

Vertovec (2007) describes countries with a heterogeneous population in terms of origin and migration status as super-diverse. Within these plurally composed societies the boundaries between minority and majority become blurred and norms, values and symbols may be negotiated dependent on context. For people growing up in such a multicultural context it is the norm to be with people of different cultural backgrounds and language skills. Reinders (2006) has introduced the term co-culturation, as distinct from enculturation and acculturation, to describe the process of engagement with cultural diversity by both, natives and those with migration background. In a sample of adolescents growing up in multicultural Luxembourg, we highlight the interplay between migration status, friendship patterns, family relations, well-being and identity. Students (N = 85) attending a Luxembourgish secondary school participated in this questionnaire study (Mage = 16.45, SD = 1.09, 46 male, 39 female). The majority (n = 68) of the students were born in Luxembourg, 17 are natives (born to two Luxembourgish parents), 43 are second generation, 17 first generation and 6 are of mixed parentage. We assessed language competence and use, friendship patterns and family relationships. Measures also included the Brief Multidimensional Students’ Life Satisfaction Scales (BMSLSS) which assesses satisfaction with life in different domains and the Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure (MEIM) scale. The results indicate that friendship patterns are formed on the basis of the characteristics of the individual rather than based on the country of origin. Few statistically significant differences could be found in terms of country of origin/ migration status and various outcome measures. The results can be interpreted in the co-culturation framework. For this cohort of adolescents, culture contact is the norm and salience of cultural background appears to weaken as a result. However, the Luxembourgish language plays an important unifying role

Effects of the COVID-pandemic:The role of family culture and effects on well-being

During the COVID pandemic governments across the globe put restrictions in place to curb the spread of the virus. During the strict lock-down phase, people were only permitted to leave the house for essential reasons, and visiting of family members living in a different household was not allowed. The aim of the present study was to investigate possible effects of these COVID restrictions on well-being according to different family models. Extending Kağitçibasi’s (2007, 2013) postulated family model by Manzi et al.’s (2006) aspects of family cultures (enmeshment, cohesion, autonomy and social support) we first explored, if these family models can be replicated in Luxembourg. We then tested, if lock-down restrictions affected family models differently in terms of well-being. A total of N = 244 (Mage = 35 years, SD = 12.2; 73% female) completed our online questionnaire at the time of the strict lockdown in April-Mai 2020 in Luxembourg. To capture the impact of the pandemic, the questionnaire was divided into two parts. First, participants answered questions about their well-being, family culture and closeness to their parents in general. Participants were then reminded of COVID lockdown restrictions and asked to answer under these restrictions. Using cluster analysis we identified three family models, namely psychologically interdependent families (focus on cohesion and social support), independent families (focus on autonomy), and interdependent families (focus: enmeshment, cohesion and social support). The independent family cluster showed lower well-being before and during the pandemic compared to psychologically interdependent families. Our findings suggest that different family models as postulated by Kağitçibasi are indeed affected differently by the pandemic. Furthermore, there appears to be a particular association between cohesion and well-being. Implications of these findings will be discussed also in the family model framework

Solidarity Typologies in Dynamics Between Portuguese Emigrants and Their Parents

peer reviewedMotivations for migratory movements tend to be contextualised at an individual level and refer to opportunities related to the country of destination. In the Portuguese context, this view is increasingly limited when we analyse the emigration of young adults since this process directly involves family figures in the country of origin, as they tend to be the first source of support. This paper aims to explore the dimensions of intergenerational solidarity, analysing conflict as transversal dimension and the presence of ambivalence, for a proposal of behaviour typologies in Portuguese transnational families. Using a qualitative approach, young Portuguese adults who emigrated in the European space and Schengen area (N = 22) were interviewed addressing questions about their migratory projects, as well as their dynamics with their parents in Portugal. A thematic analysis was carried out with the support of the NVivo software. The results indicate four behaviour typologies: (1) high cohesion and dependence, (2) full solidarity tested with resilience, (3) affective and functional solidarities, with normative and value divergences, and (4) no solidarity and irreconcilable differences. The findings suggest the impact of intergenerational norms and values, as they may be at the origin of communicational patterns that increase well-being and resilience in migration projects.3. Good health and well-bein