Supporting Identity Development in Cross-Cultural Children and Young People: Resources, Vulnerability, Creativity

Children and young people with cross-cultural backgrounds are significantly influenced by multiple cultures during their upbringing. They face the ambivalence and challenges of regularly dealing with multiple cultural frames of reference, norms and expectations, and often experience particular identity challenges. One might say that much of the ambivalence of modern intercultural societies may show up as internalized ambivalence in these “children of migration”. This article explores cross-cultural identity development. The aim is to further our understanding of how the identities of cross-cultural children and young people can be supported and their resources activated. This can both strengthen their resilience and well- being, and be of great value to society at large. Psychosocial/cultural interventions and creative projects in cross-cultural settings are potential arenas for this type of cultural health promotion. One example is the multicultural music project Fargespill (‘Kaleidoscope’). In a case study of Kaleidoscope, I describe and discuss how these participatory creative activities work, and ask how they may foster the development of constructive cross-cultural identities. Participant observation was conducted in Kaleidoscope throughout a year. In the light of theoretical perspectives from social and cultural psychology, the article analyzes identity issues and possibilities within this empirical context. Supporting cross-cultural identity development in a constructive manner is here operationalized as allowing, increasing and acknowledging identity complexity. The findings are categorized under the headings of resources, vulnerability and creativity. The project leaders make an effort to establish trust and a safe, supportive space. They apply a participatory method, in which the participants are seen as resources and their strengths and contributions are emphasized. In some situations, the vulnerability that may be caused by potentially being stereotyped is apparent, and identity definitions and complexities need to be negotiated. There are explicit expectations concerning creativity in the Kaleidoscope process, and the crossing of different cultural expressions, old and sometimes new, leads to the final creative product of the performance. To summarize, identity complexity is given space to play out, relating to both origins and current participation in culture in construction here in Norwegian society. Thus, at its best, Kaleidoscope sets the stage for a flexible and playful performance of identity. This may be one path towards appreciated and integrated intercultural identities.

Inclusion and participation in a multicultural gospel choir

Immigrants and particularly refugees are vulnerable in relation to health and social exclusion. This article asks how inclusion in a multicultural gospel choir in a Norwegian town can contribute to the well-being of immigrants. A case study including participatory observation and interviews with choir members forms the empirical basis for the analysis. The multicultural gospel choir gathers singers with very diverse backgrounds, who sing together in several languages in a welcoming social environment, where entry to participation is made easy both practically and socially. The narrative analysis focuses on four choir participants’ renditions of what the choir has meant to them. Within the broad framework of Antonovsky’s salutogenic theory, the relevance of health-promoting factors such as integration, social support, and inclusion is considered. In the analysis, social support and participation are identified as particularly important positive factors. A common theme in all four narratives is the importance of experiencing a sense of cultural participation in the choir. In other words, the choir members value the opportunity to contribute and be acknowledged as valuable participants in cultural interaction. The analysis presented here might serve as a reminder to see immigrants not only as representatives of their backgrounds, but as participants in the culture(s) continually being created here and now. The choir can function as an entry point to Norwegian society, and as a “family” in a vulnerable situation, but it is “not quite Norway.” In times of transition and uncertainty, however, the choir can provide quite an important arena for cultural participation, which in turn can strengthen participants in ways that may transfer to other arenas as well. This has policy and practical implications for preventive interventions, and points to a significant health potential in choirs and other community work where immigrants are included as equal contributors

Moving on: An interview study of reconciliation practices among war refugees

Denne oppgaven presenterer en intervjustudie om forsoningspraksiser blant krigsflyktninger til Norge fra Rwanda, Burundi, DR Kongo og tidligere Jugoslavia. Forsoning forstås her som en prosess der relasjoner (gjen)opprettes mens den andres identitet og menneskelighet anerkjennes. Forsoning anses av mange å være en nøkkelprosess, både individuelt og kollektivt, etter voldelig konflikt, og begrepet har i senere tid blitt tverrfaglig belyst. Mens det meste av faglitteraturen om forsoning tar for seg det store bildet, på system- eller prinsippnivå, er denne studien lagt opp for å gi nærbilder av forsoning slik det erfares og praktiseres av individene som til sammen utgjør samfunnet. Ved bruk av sosialpsykologisk teori, bl.a. sosial identitetsteori og modellen for felles inngruppeidentitet, og metoder bygd på fenomenologi og diskursanalyse, sikter studien mot å svare på hvilke forsoningspraksiser overlevende tar i bruk for å leve videre etter krigserfaringer. Dette knyttes til identitetsutvikling og hvordan de overlevende forholder seg til ’de andre’ (utgruppen) i dag. Noen erfaringer deles av alle intervjudeltakerne: Forsoning er 1) viktig, 2) en lang og kompleks prosess, og 3) både refleksiv (en indre prosess) og relasjonell (mellom individer og grupper). Alle intervjudeltakerne differensierer mellom utgruppemedlemmene og anser dem som skyldige for det som skjedde i ulik grad, noe som ofte fører til differensiert forsoning. Alle har også, som flyktninger fra ’nye kriger’, opplevd en foruroligende nærhet til fienden, og forteller om venner som ble fiender og alvorlige tillitsbrudd. Betydelige forskjeller og motsigelser framtrer også i materialet, som tegner et komplekst bilde av forsoning. Hovedfunnet er tre distinkte forsoningspraksiser: Aktivisme-formidling, tilgivelse-åndelighet og avstand-unnvikelse. Forsoningsbegrepet har ulik mening i forhold til ulike diskurser som trekkes inn, blant dem teologiske, psykologiske, juridiske, politiske og utviklings-/menneskerettighetsdiskurser. Ulike konstruksjoner av ’oss’ (som ofre, misforståtte ofre, ikke-ofre og overlevende med en hensikt) og ’dem’ (som menneskelige/umenneskelige) framtrer også. Intervjudeltakerne posisjoneres av etnisk bakgrunn, men noen posisjonerer seg selv friere i forhold til etnisitet, med en bevegelsesfrihet de har skaffet seg gjennom erfaringer av kompleksitet (f.eks. migrasjonserfaringen). Kompleksiteten og de ulike forsoningspraksisene som identifiseres i denne analysen kan gi grunnlag for mer realistiske forventninger hva man kan oppnå ved forsoningstiltak, og fungerer som et argument for å jobbe for forsoning på flere nivåer, med rom for individuelle og gruppeforskjeller. Spekteret av forsoningspraksiser som presenteres vil også kunne anvendes som en verktøykasse av ressurser for forsoning

Inclusion and participation in a multicultural gospel choir

Immigrants and particularly refugees are vulnerable in relation to health and social exclusion. This article asks how inclusion in a multicultural gospel choir in a Norwegian town can contribute to the well-being of immigrants. A case study including participatory observation and interviews with choir members forms the empirical basis for the analysis. The multicultural gospel choir gathers singers with very diverse backgrounds, who sing together in several languages in a welcoming social environment, where entry to participation is made easy both practically and socially. The narrative analysis focuses on four choir participants’ renditions of what the choir has meant to them. Within the broad framework of Antonovsky’s salutogenic theory, the relevance of health-promoting factors such as integration, social support, and inclusion is considered. In the analysis, social support and participation are identified as particularly important positive factors. A common theme in all four narratives is the importance of experiencing a sense of cultural participation in the choir. In other words, the choir members value the opportunity to contribute and be acknowledged as valuable participants in cultural interaction. The analysis presented here might serve as a reminder to see immigrants not only as representatives of their backgrounds, but as participants in the culture(s) continually being created here and now. The choir can function as an entry point to Norwegian society, and as a “family” in a vulnerable situation, but it is “not quite Norway.” In times of transition and uncertainty, however, the choir can provide quite an important arena for cultural participation, which in turn can strengthen participants in ways that may transfer to other arenas as well. This has policy and practical implications for preventive interventions, and points to a significant health potential in choirs and other community work where immigrants are included as equal contributors.