Traditional literature on acculturation predominantly posits that immigrants, when integrating into Western mainstream society, undergo a linear process through prescribed stages. For example, the classic acculturation framework (Berry, 2005) based on the four stages (assimilation, integration, rejection and deculturation) seems to overlook women’s experiences and their social, historical and cultural location. Acculturation theory is too broad, given the cultural diversity among immigrants from the same cultural and religious backgrounds. This study, therefore, used an alternative integrated model from an intersectional perspective drawn from cultural hybridity theory that emphasizes the non-linear nature of acculturation patterns. By employing the concepts of cultural hybridity and third space within a feminist-postcolonial intersectional framework, this research examines the unique integration experiences of South Asian immigrant women in Canada. This approach highlights the importance of considering diverse and intersecting influences in understanding the acculturation process, particularly for marginalized groups. We begin the paper by providing a brief literature review on cultural hybridity and intersectionality. We then discuss the importance of employing the feminist methodology to understand women’s perspectives on the multiple strategies used to integrate into mainstream Canadian society. The findings of this study reveal that the women participants make nuanced decisions about integration in response to complex social pressures and opportunities. Our analysis suggests that participants selectively adopt norms of Western society while retaining their cultural and religious identities. From a feminist-postcolonial perspective, South Asian immigrant women in this study constantly navigated between the two cultures thus constructing hybrid identities with traces of both cultures.

Authors:
Ghazala Ahmed, Niagara College, Canada
Kamini Jaipal-Jamani, Brock University, Canada

About the Presenter(s)
Dr. Ahmed currently tecahes at School of Academic and Liberal Studies at Niagara College. She also teaches in the Faculty of Education at Brock University.

See this presentation on the full schedule – Sunday Schedule

Bookmark