Ceren Abacıoğlu: Majority-group acculturation || Complex Dynamic Systems Theory

In this episode, we talked to Ceren Abacıoğlu who is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

PAST (00:02:11): Ceren talks about the struggles of studying and working in another country, about adapting to new cultures and new working environments. She explains how she became interested in the concept of acculturation, meaning the changes that happen if people from different cultures are in contact with one another over an extended period of time.

PRESENT (00:09:08): We discuss the article by Kunst and colleagues (2021) about majority group acculturation. This article is groundbreaking because it focusses on the acculturation of people that belong to the cultural majority of a country. Therefore, it breaks with the tradition of focusing on cultural minority groups, such as immigrants and their descendants, who are typically researched regarding their acculturation.

FUTURE (00:21:50): Ceren emphasizes the need for more complex theoretical frameworks that can take into account the many dimensions, predictors, and contexts of acculturation. She explains how Complex Dynamic Systems Theory and interdisciplinary research could help reach this goal.

FULL REFERENCES OF THIS EPISODE:

Kunst, J. R., Lefringhausen, K., Sam, D. L., Berry, J. W., & Dovidio, J. F. (2021). The Missing Side of Acculturation: How Majority-Group Members Relate to Immigrant and Minority-Group Cultures. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 30(6), 485–494. https://doi.org/10.1177/09637214211040771