Sweden has developed into a country of ethnic and cultural diversity. Research highlight the importance of reciprocal integration and intercultural venues. Minority and majority population must participate in the process of integration, by mutually accepted conditions. The civil society offers social venues but these venues are culturally segregated which prevent intercultural relationships to develop. Språkvän is a civic organization that takes on this challenge. By examining how reciprocity is created within these intercultural relations, knowledge of how reciprocal integration can develop in practice will be created. Reciprocity is developed through social relationships, and the relationship in its entirety must therefore be studied. Theories of social capital enable the study of social relations, based on three features: a structural, a cognitive and a relational dimension. The aim of this study has been to examine how social capital is created within the intercultural relationships, and participants of Språkvän has been interviewed. Volunteers and newcomers were interviewed in focus groups, based on a qualitative and hermeneutic approach. The study showed that there is a discrepancy regarding expectations of the relationship. In line with previous research the terms of the relationships are not reciprocal which endangers the cohesion and perseverance of the relationships.

This study explores the acculturation experiences of long-term Western residents in Japan using a broad intercultural studies approach. First, the historical context of Westerners coming to Japan is discussed. Next, literature from the field of intercultural studies is considered. This literature is used to provide a framework for analyzing Western sojourners’ acculturation experiences in Japan, as well as for choosing the research methods for conducting a qualitative analysis. The research involved interviewing 12 expatriates from English-speaking countries who have been in Japan for at least 10 years. Their acculturation experiences were analyzed, with a particular focus on finding hidden barriers to acculturation. The study concludes that numerous barriers to acculturation do exist. Commonly observable barriers included lack of employment security for some sojourners, and a poor fit between an individual’s personality and the host culture. These issues are applicable to anyone adapting to life in a different culture. However, this research also exposed a number of hidden barriers arguably unique to the Western sojourner’s acculturation experience in Japan. These barriers include the challenge of developing satisfying relationships with Japanese, due primarily to different expectations for psychological closeness and self-disclosure in Japan and the West. Another is the social effect of Othering, the centuries-old process where Japanese society divides things into those which are Japanese and those which are not, and the consequent empathy deficit that Japanese experience toward outsiders. The thesis concludes by offering recommendations for how long-term Western residents in Japan can improve their adaptation and acculturation experience. These include the obvious advantages of learning the Japanese language, and the less obvious benefits of learning and practicing mindful intercultural communication.

China is the top sending country of international students to Western universities. Chinese students can benefit a country's economy and aid in internationalizing campuses, providing opportunities for students to develop global competencies. However, as the number of Chinese students is increasing, so is the awareness of their difficulties in acculturating to the Western system of higher education. The literature attributes some of these difficulties to cultural, academic, and social factors. Filling a gap in the research, this cross-level study compares the preparation programs of four different types of secondary institutions. Results of surveys and interviews were correlated between faculty and alumni evaluating satisfaction and effectiveness of university preparation. The students generally were satisfied with their preparation training as compared to the faculty at the secondary schools. Results of this study will help bridge the gap of eradicating the difficulties Chinese students face in the Western higher education system.

This study examined the impact of migration and the resulting intercultural interactions on the cultural identities of first-generation immigrant Trinidadians living in the Philadelphia area of the United States. It focused on four identities: race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and nationality. The goal of the study was to determine how Trinidadian immigrants define and reconceptualize these four dimensions of their identities as they make new lives in American society. Another goal was to determine whether identities shift and, if so, how, for Trinidadian immigrants when they move across cultures to a society where they are no longer in the racial, ethnic, or cultural majority. Using a mixed-methods approach, the research included an initial online survey followed by qualitative interviews with a few selected participants. Survey results showed that for three of the identities (ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and nationality), more than half of respondents indicated no change in saliency. Survey respondents rated their shift in racial identity as almost equal between more salient and no change in saliency upon moving to the United States. However, qualitative findings showed that, of the four identities, race became most salient in the United States, even for those who showed no shift in this identity after resettling here. The racial identity of interviewees was influenced by three main factors: the racial identity they were ascribed in the United States, their experiences with racial discrimination, and being made to feel “othered” in a society that does not recognize their Trinidadian racial and ethnic categories. Findings also showed that immigrants in this study who are ascribed a Black identity in the United States acculturate to both African American and European American cultures in multicultural Philadelphia, while maintaining a strong connection to their Trinidadian national identity. This research has practical implications for intercultural researchers and trainers who work with Trinidadian or West Indian populations.

Ce mémoire aborde l’inclusion des personnes issues de l’immigration dans le tissu social municipal de la Ville de Sherbrooke, offrant une analyse de l’action municipale déployée à partir du point de vue des personnes concernées. À partir du terrain ethnographique effectué dans la Ville de Sherbrooke visant à observer l’interculturel qui y est déployé, des perceptions de plusieurs concepts sont mises de l’avant – par exemple : l’appartenance, l’administration municipale et ce qui constitue la diversité. Pour se faire, ce mémoire débute avec une vue d’ensemble du projet de recherche et installe les bases théoriques, conceptuelles et méthodologiques nécessaires à l’approfondissement des enjeux soulevés. L’entrée en la matière est poursuivie alors que se décline le contexte ethnographique dans lequel s’insère la problématique étudiée, tout en portant une attention aux dynamiques multiniveaux qui se déclinent à l’échelle du Canada, du Québec, et de la Ville de Sherbrooke. Des données sur la Ville de Sherbrooke ainsi qu’une part de l’action municipale déployée pour l’inclusion de la diversité y figurent. L’entrée dans le vif du sujet débute ensuite avec la présentation des données issues du projet de recherche International Intercultural Cities Comparative Study (IICCS), offrant un portrait du point de vue administratif sherbrookois quant aux relations interculturelles et à la diversité. Dans la même trame, sont subséquemment présentées les données récoltées auprès de résidents sherbrookois issus de l’immigration, qui ont participé à des groupes de discussion portant sur leur perception de l’inclusion de la diversité à Sherbrooke. Enfin, une discussion porte sur les données issues des groupes de discussion des fonctionnaires et des Sherbrookois issus de l’immigration. Cette discussion se veut une réflexion sur l’inclusion des personnes issues de l’immigration dans le tissu social sherbrookois et abordant les écarts de perception des différents acteurs. Finalement, les points saillants du projet de recherche et quelques constats finaux sont mis de l’avant, et la boucle sera bouclée en soulevant d’éventuelles pistes de réflexion. / This dissertation addresses the inclusion of people of immigrant background in the municipal social fabric of the City of Sherbrooke, offering an analysis of municipal action deployed from the perspective of the people concerned. Based on ethnographic fieldwork carried out in the City of Sherbrooke to observe interculturality in action, perceptions of several concepts are put forward - for example: belonging, municipal administration and what constitutes diversity. To this end, this dissertation is divided into five chapters. It begins with an overview of the research project, laying the theoretical, conceptual and methodological foundations required to explore the issues raised. The introduction to the subject is followed by a description of the ethnographic context in which the issue under study is embedded, with particular attention to the multi-level dynamics at play in Canada, Quebec and the City of Sherbrooke. Data on the City of Sherbrooke are included, as well as an overview of municipal initiatives undertaken in favour of inclusiveness and diversity. This is followed by a presentation of data from the International Intercultural Cities Comparative Study (IICCS) research project, providing a snapshot of Sherbrooke's administrative perspective on intercultural relations and diversity. This is followed by a presentation of data gathered from Sherbrooke residents of immigrant background, who took part in focus groups on their perceptions of diversity inclusion in Sherbrooke. Lastly, a discussion focuses on the findings of the focus groups with municipal representatives and residents. This discussion is intended as a reflection on the inclusion of people of immigrant background in Sherbrooke's social web, and address gaps in the perceptions of the various players. To conclude, the highlights of the research project and some final findings are put forward, and we come full circle by raising possible avenues for further reflection.

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This thesis explores the question of intercultural personhood in two 'mainstream' Australian cases within interpersonal, intercultural relations in Australian contexts in the second half of the twentieth century. The problem is viewed through three disciplinary lenses: those of communication, psychology and sociology. A qualitative, interdisciplinary approach integrates these through an inductive biographical research design. Within cross-cultural communication studies, a host culture such as that of the Anglo-Australian majority is seen in a monolithic and static way to which Australians of other cultural backgrounds are seen to adapt. These studies give no place to the changes which members of the majority undergo. 'Intercultural personhood', a term coined by Kim (1988, 2001), describes the kinds of 'ethnic' individuals who through negotiating their identities within personal, social and mass communication contexts, both host and ethnic, move beyond the bounds of their own cultural heritage to embrace both their former cultural identity and the new 'host' (viz Australian) identity. In this thesis, the elements of cross-cultural adaptation theory and of 'intercultural personhood' are applied to the intercultural experience of 'mainstream' Australians. From preliminary memory work workshops and focus groups, the cases of two mainstream individuals who show some evidence of 'intercultural personhood' and make identity claims comparable with 'ethnic' adapters are then developed through biographical method. Their life accounts are drawn on for the exploration of issues of identity and personhood within interpersonal, intercultural relations. Major focus is given to the social psychology of Harre (1983, 1993, 1998), whose work provided both a conceptualisation and a methodological tool for the problem. In Harre's work, three dimensions of personhood, namely consciousness, agency and biography are identified together with the psycho-social processes through which an individual's identity and orientation to their culture is appropriated, transformed and publicised. This publication is then rejected or incorporated into the culture through processes of conventionalisation. These four psycho-social processes are explored in my study through an adaptation of assisted biography method (De Waele & Harre, 1979). The strength of the psycho-social approach of Harre lies in its ability to get below the surface behaviours to an analysis of the theory of self which individuals, as 'singular' beings, bring into play in their interactions within themselves and with one another. While this approach draws on social contexts to support the transformations, it is not designed to explicate to a sufficient degree the conditions under which such theories of self are activated and within which changes in identity occur and are maintained. For this reason it is essential to incorporate a sociological framework to understand the influence of the conditions within which such experiences are played out. Bourdieu's (1984, 1987) cultural, relational sociology is coupled with Harre's (1983, 1993, 1998) theory of personal and social being in that it brings together the individual and the society in a way which proves fruitful for ongoing analysis of the biographical data collected within the communication and psycho-social framework of the earlier research. Bourdieu's critique of a methodology based on biography points to the 'illusion' that is created through a biographical interview process. Taking this critique of biography into the study of interpersonal, intercultural relations meant a shift from the communication interactions and psycho-social analysis undertaken to an analysis of the various social constructions evident within the elements of the life account and a search for the cognitive imprint of social structures as durable dispositions within the persons. These dispositions are evident from within a social trajectory of the life and they are applied to the intercultural encounters recounted by the participants in their autobiographies. The addition of Bourdieu's (1984, 1987) sociology strengthens the ability to view the individual and the society through a single lens and to position the individual life course as secondary within a broader and primary analysis of social structure and social structuring as a means of interpreting lives. Its weakness lies in the degree of 'voluntariness' brought into effect as individuals both chart their course through life and are pushed and pulled by the various social forces at work within their trajectories. Within the scope of this thesis, these two approaches, that is, a psychological and a sociological one, are illustrated and incorporated into an interdisciplinary model for the study of interpersonal, intercultural relations. Further rigorous research to validate the components and the relationships of the model and to investigate these strengths and weaknesses more thoroughly is foreshadowed. This interdisciplinary model of interpersonal, intercultural relations is the major contribution of this work to the field of intercultural communication. Advances which are achieved through use of psychology, sociology and biographical research method as a tool through this study are also identified. The thesis concludes with a review of the contributions of the thesis and a discussion of the implications for future research on interpersonal, intercultural relations.

Este estudio de carácter descriptivo de una parte de la realidad social de Andorra puede constituir el punto de partida para una actuación educativa "razonable", si se acepta que toda acción educativa tiene su punto de partida en el conocimiento de la realidad personal del educando, pero también del contexto socio-cultural que le envuelve. Los datos obtenidos ponen de relieve que la mayoría de alumnos presentan actitudes acordes con lo que la sociedad espera de ellos. Asimismo, los resultados apoyan la hipótesis de que la actitud de "indiferencia" aparece como un componente importante. En los resultados del análisis bivariado se desprende que los alumnos de género femenino, los alumnos de nacionalidad portuguesa y aquellos cuyos padres poseen un nivel de estudios primarios, manifiestan actitudes más acordes con la integración social, la identidad cultural o la sociedad multicultural que el resto de los estudiantes investigados / This is a descriptive study of a sector on the Andorran social reality. It could be considered as a "reasonable" starting point to act on the educational field. It takes into account the personal reality of the pupil together with his/her socio-cultural context.The obtained data reveals that the majority of students manifest attitudes according to what society expect from them. In the same way, the results of the survey emphasises on the hypothesis that the attitude of "indifference" stands out as an important component.The results of the crossed analysis show that pupils of feminine gender, those from Portuguese nationality and also those whose parents acquired a basic education, manifest attitudes which are more in accordance with the social integration, the cultural identity or the multicultural society, than the rest of the surveyed pupils.