Border Crossing in 'Multicultural Australia': A Study of Cultural Valence

• Autores: J. J. Smolicz, D.M. Hudson, M.J. Secombe
• Localización: Journal of multilingual and multicultural development, ISSN 0143-4632, Vol. 19, Nº. 4, 1998, págs. 318-336
• Idioma: inglés
• Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
• Resumen

  • While political borders in the modern world are often attenuated, cultural borders between groups are reinforced through the resurgence of ethnic identity and the renaissance of cultural values which underpin it. Such developments need not be regarded as divisive, but as an opportunity for border crossing by individuals who augment their cultural valence through acquiring competence in and positive attitudes towards other cultures. Australia's multicultural policy has sought to encourage this development by building a society that is both cohesive and supportive of the country's cultural diversity. This paper reports on two studies carried out according to the principles of humanistic sociology and based on memoirs written by university graduates. Those of non-English speaking background showed evidence of bivalence in that they had crossed the cultural border to participate in mainstream Australian society, while maintaining aspects of their home languages and cultures. Those of English-speaking background in Study A activated only the dominant culture and hence were classified as univalent, although about half revealed positive attitudes to cultural pluralism in Australia. Over two-fifths of the younger writers in Study B had actually crossed the minority cultural boundaries to participate in another culture and three of these could be classified as bivalent.