Intercultural Relations Dr. K. A. Korb University of Jos 3 June 2009

Multicultural Societies Plural Society: Many different cultural groups reside together in a shared social and political framework Maintain Cultural Identity YesNo Interact with other cultural groups YesIntegrationAssimilation NoSeparationMarginalization

Multicultural Societies Early policies in migrant-receiving countries focused on assimilation Assimilation does not work Multiculturalism: Maintain cultural identity while interacting with members of other cultures

Multicultural Societies Factors required for a multicultural society: Accept the value of a culturally diverse society Low levels of prejudice Positive mutual attitudes among cultural groups Sense of attachment to the larger society by all groups

Intercultural Relations Ethnic Stereotypes: Cognitive categories used to bring order to diversity Useful psychological tools in multicultural societies Problems arise in overgeneralizations of ethnic stereotypes and negative evaluations directed toward members of cultural groups Inaccurate or negative evaluations of an individual based on group membership

Contact Hypothesis Contact Hypothesis: Meaningful contact with members of an ethnic group reduces prejudices A meta-analysis of research (Pettigrew & Tropp, 2000) examining the contact hypothesis found that contact with members of other cultural groups reduces prejudice across: Voluntary and involuntary contact Social contexts Highest reduction in prejudice for work, lowest for tourism Support for the Contact Hypothesis is strong and generalizes across contexts

Cultural Identity Cultural Identity: Set of beliefs and attitudes about oneself in relation to their cultural group membership Highlighted when somebody comes in contact with members of another cultural group

Acculturation Behavioral Changes Culture Shedding: Loss of existing cultural practices Culture Learning: Acquisition of new ways of living Two basic issues 1. Continuity or loss of culture and behavior 2. Quality of contact between cultural groups

Culture and Education One major purpose of education is to transmit important aspects of the culture to the next generation Whose culture is to be transmitted? What language is to be used? Whose values, knowledge, and beliefs should be shared?

Revision What is a multicultural society? What factors influence positive relationships between members of different cultures? To think about for future class: Is the education system in Nigeria working? Why or why not? What is the overall purpose of education? What changes in the Nigerian education system might facilitate improvements in the society?