Since the end of the Second World War, migratory movements have increased within Europe, while trans-oceanic mobility has decreased. Almost forty years have passed since then and the question arises of how Portuguese immigrants and the host community co-exist in Germany. This is going to be the subject investigated in this paper.
To answer this question, social-psychological theories, dealing with in- and outgroups, self-regard, social identity, stereotypes and prejudice, will be mobilised alongside certain governmental trends on immigration issues. An ideological typology will be suggested and later discussed in relation to Germany and its Portuguese immigrants.
The relationship between these two ethnic groups will also be subjected to empirical research by means of a questionnaire consisting of two different scales. The first was developed on the basis of work carried out first by Berry and later by Bourhis during the eighties and nineties in Canada and comprises four different acculturation orientations, specified into several items. In cross-cultural psychology, the focus on the phenomena resulting from the contact between groups of individuals from different cultural backgrounds and the subsequent adaptations of their original culture patterns is a relative recent trend. Nevertheless, it has been used intensely in the last two decades and several models have been suggested for the study of the acculturation strategies of both immigrants and host communities in multicultural societies. The most frequent is the bi-dimensional model extended by Bourhis and his co-workers from Berry’s original research, which will here be applied to Portuguese immigrants and their relation to the German host community.
The second part of the questionnaire contains an experimental scale designed to highlight some of the pragmatic manifestations of the acculturation process between these two groups. What exactly happens, where and how often, are questions that we will try to answer through examination of the answers given by the participants.
A statistical analysis will lead us to the discussion of results and will hopefully help to define the acculturation tendencies of these two groups towards each other and provide some sort of framework to enable us to understand the choices made by Portuguese immigrants and their host community in their co-existence in Germany.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Immigration – Political Aspects and Social-psychological Theories
2.1 Pluralism Ideology
2.2 Civic Ideology
2.3 Assimilation Ideology
2.4 Ethnist Ideology
2.5 Ingroups and Outgroups
2.6 Social Identity Theory
2.7 Attitudes, Stereotypes, Prejudices & Discrimination
3. Acculturation Models
3.1 Ecology, Enculturation & Socialization
3.2 Acculturation
3.3 Models of Acculturation
3.4 Berry’s Acculturation Model
3.4.1 Assimilation
3.4.2 Integration
3.4.3 Segregation or Separation
3.4.4 Marginalisation
3.5 Studies and Scales
3.6 Bourhis’ Interactive Acculturation Model
4. The Portuguese in Germany
4.1 General Features of Portuguese Emigration
4.2 Brief History of the Portuguese Presence in Germany
4.3 Present Situation of the Portuguese Migrants in Germany
4.3.1 Geographical Distribution
4.3.2 Age and Gender of the Migrants
4.3.3 Duration of the Stay in Germany
4.3.4 Employment
4.3.5 Unemployment
4.3.6 School, Professional Education and University
4.3.7 Marriages, Naturalizations and Births
4.4 Final Observations
5. Methodology
5.1 Design of the Study
5.2 Instruments
5.2.1 Acculturation Attitudes
5.2.1.1 English Version
5.2.1.2 German Version
5.2.1.3 Portuguese Version
5.2.2 Acculturation Experiences
5.3 Sample and Collection of the Data
6. Presentation of the Results
6.1 Age and Gender of the Groups
6.2 Analysis of Items and Scales
6.3 Inter-correlation of the Scales
6.4 Groups and Acculturation Strategies
6.5 Single-items
6.6 Acculturation Strategies and Contact between the groups
6.7 Acculturation Strategies and Experiences between the groups
6.8 Other factors – Language and Education
7. Discussion of the Results
7.1 The Original Scales
7.2 Interscale Relationships
7.3 Predictors of Acculturation Attitudes
7.4 Portuguese and Germans – Conflict or Consensus?
8. Conclusions
9. References
Research Objectives and Themes
The primary research objective is to examine how Portuguese immigrants and the German host community perceive their co-existence, specifically applying the Interactive Acculturation Model to evaluate acculturation strategies and the impact of inter-group contact.
- Social-psychological theories of in- and outgroups and social identity.
- Acculturation strategies of first and second-generation Portuguese immigrants.
- The influence of daily contact and experiences on acculturation outcomes.
- The relationship between linguistic knowledge, educational levels, and integration.
- Evaluation of the "consensual" vs. "conflictual" nature of the immigrant-host community relationship.
Excerpt from the Book
3.2 Acculturation
The term acculturation was introduced by American anthropologists, as early as 1880, to describe the process of culture change between two different cultural groups who come into contact (Sayegh & Lasry, 1993). However, the first major anthropological studies on acculturation were only carried out in the 1930s, and the first classical definition of acculturation was presented by Redfield, Linton, & Herskovits in 1936. According to these researchers, “Acculturation comprehends those phenomena which result when groups of individuals having different cultures come into continuous first-hand contact, with subsequent changes in the original culture patterns of either or both groups” (Redfield, Linton and Herskovits, 1936, 149). Under this definition, acculturation is to be distinguished from culture change (of which it is but one aspect) and assimilation (which is at times a stage of acculturation). It is also to be differentiated from diffusion, which, while occurring in all instances of acculturation, frequently takes place without the occurrence of the types of contact between peoples specified in the definition above, and constitutes only one aspect of the process of acculturation.
This broad definition was in 1954 reviewed by the Social Science Research Council, which defined acculturation as culture change that is initiated by the conjunction of two or more autonomous cultural systems. Acculturative change may be the consequence of direct cultural transmission; it may result from non-cultural causes, such as ecological or demographic modification induced by an impinging culture; it may be delayed, as with internal adjustments following the acceptance of alien traits or patterns; or it may be a reactive adaptation of traditional modes of life. Its dynamics can be seen as the selective adaptation of value systems, integration and differentiation processes, the generation of developmental sequences, and the operation of role determinants and personality factors.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: This chapter provides an overview of migration movements, specifically the Portuguese diaspora, and sets the stage for investigating how these immigrants and the German host community co-exist.
2. Immigration – Political Aspects and Social-psychological Theories: This chapter examines governmental immigration policies and social theories, such as Social Identity Theory and the concepts of ingroups and outgroups, which influence immigrant-host relations.
3. Acculturation Models: This chapter reviews various theoretical frameworks for understanding acculturation, with a particular focus on Berry’s model and the refined Interactive Acculturation Model developed by Bourhis.
4. The Portuguese in Germany: This chapter details the history of Portuguese emigration to Germany, starting from the 1964 agreements, and provides a statistical analysis of their current situation, including demographic and employment data.
5. Methodology: This chapter outlines the design of the comparative study, which utilizes questionnaires to survey Portuguese immigrants and German host community members regarding their acculturation attitudes and experiences.
6. Presentation of the Results: This chapter presents the empirical findings regarding age, gender, acculturation strategies, and the impact of inter-group contact and experiences on these strategies.
7. Discussion of the Results: This chapter interprets the collected data, comparing it with established models and exploring whether the relationship between the two groups is characterized by consensus or conflict.
8. Conclusions: This chapter summarizes the main findings, offers final reflections on the theoretical models, and suggests recommendations for future research in this field.
Keywords
Acculturation, Migration, Portuguese immigrants, Germany, Integration, Assimilation, Segregation, Social Identity Theory, Interactive Acculturation Model, Inter-group contact, Cultural maintenance, Minority groups, Social-psychological theories, Stereotypes, Ethnic identity.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this work?
The research investigates the social and psychological dynamics of the relationship between Portuguese immigrants and the German host community, focusing on how these groups perceive each other and adapt to living together.
What are the central themes discussed in the book?
Central themes include acculturation strategies, inter-group contact, the influence of political and social ideologies on immigration, and the empirical measurement of integration, assimilation, and segregation preferences.
What is the core research question?
The core questions are how first and second-generation Portuguese immigrants in Germany perceive their relationship with the host community, and conversely, how the German host community perceives its relationship with these immigrants.
Which scientific methodology does the author apply?
The author uses a comparative, quantitative research approach, employing specialized questionnaires developed from Berry’s and Bourhis’ models to analyze attitudes and experiences across three participant groups.
What does the main body of the work cover?
The main body covers historical migration backgrounds, theoretical models of acculturation, an empirical presentation of statistical results from the surveys, and a detailed discussion linking these results to social identity theories.
Which keywords best characterize this study?
The most defining keywords are Acculturation, Portuguese immigrants, Integration, Assimilation, Social Identity Theory, and Inter-group contact.
How does the second generation of immigrants differ from the first generation?
Second-generation immigrants typically show higher levels of German language proficiency and education, resulting in higher levels of contact with the host community and a greater tendency towards integration compared to their parents.
What conclusion does the author reach regarding the "Ethnist" ideology of Germany?
While Germany has been cited in literature as an example of "Ethnist" ideology, the author's results suggest a shift towards a more pluralistic view, at least regarding the Portuguese community.
- Quote paper
- Joana Duarte (Author), 2006, Integrating Immigrants in Today's Globalised Society, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/139166
