A critique of critical acculturation |
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| Authors: | John W Berry |
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| Institution: | 1. National Research University Higher School of Economics, Russian Federation;2. Tilburg University, The Netherlands;3. University of Queensland, Australia;4. North-West University, South Africa;1. University of Almería, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Humanities and Psychology, Cañada de San Urbano s/n. Almería, 04120, Spain;2. Royal Holloway, University of London, Department of Psychology, Egham, Surrey, TW20 0EX, United Kingdom;1. Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Norway;2. Department of Psychosocial Science, University of Bergen, Norway |
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| Abstract: | This critique is divided into three sections. The first section is a review of my positions on three core issues regarding the nature of the human sciences (particularly cross-cultural and acculturation psychology) that have been raised throughout these articles. Knowledge of these positions is essential background to understanding my comments in the second section. In the second section are some comments on specific claims and assertions about my work that have been made in the articles. I believe that many of these assertions do not represent my views, nor my empirical research, on acculturation. Of necessity, I have had to select certain themes among all of these assertions. Although the special issue is a critique of acculturation theory and research in general, the majority of the comments are addressed to my work in the area. Hence, I have concentrated on criticisms directed at my own work, rather than attempting to address the field as a whole. However, my comments likely have more general import for the field of acculturation psychology as a whole. I invite readers to consider these very contrasting sets of views about how we are to understand individual human beings within the context of cultures, and of culture contact and change. A third section returns to some of the basic issues regarding the nature of the scientific enterprise. I advocate a dual approach, accepting both the natural sciences and cultural sciences ways of advancing our knowledge of human behaviour in context. I argue that dismissing the positivist traditions of the natural sciences, and replacing them with social constructionist concepts and methods is a regressive step in our search to improve our understanding of acculturation. Moreover, I have found little in these articles that advances our knowledge of acculturation, or our potential for making applications for the betterment of acculturating individuals and groups. |
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