The main purpose of this study was to explore how second-generation young adults with foreign background understand their ethnic identities and how they relate to their national identities. Semi-structured interviews with 7 second-generation young adults with foreign background were conducted. The basis for our analysis was social identity theory, identity theory and previous research. As the result shows, the participants in this study had developed an understanding of their ethnic identities in relation to their national identities based on influential factors. The influential factors that elicited these understandings of their ethnic identities in relation to their national identities were: influential people and cultural influences. On the basis of these influential factors, it had become easier for some participants to identify themselves more with their ethnic identities. However, for other participants, the understanding of their ethnic identities did not influence their feelings of belongingness to the host society, which means they have considered themselves to belong to both their ethnic and national identities. For those participants who could not identify themselves with both their ethnic identities and relate to their national identities chose to identify themselves with something else, which in this case religion.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:hig-20941 |
| Date | January 2015 |
| Creators | Koroma, Charles, Kamara, Umaru |
| Publisher | Högskolan i Gävle, Avdelningen för socialt arbete och psykologi, Högskolan i Gävle, Avdelningen för socialt arbete och psykologi |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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