Kaat Van Acker

Heritage culture maintenance precludes host culture adoption and vice versa: Flemings' perceptions of Turks' acculturation behavior

A prevalent concern with the integration of Turkish minorities is that large cultural differences hinder integration. Many majority members doubt that Turkish minority members can combine host culture adoption and heritage culture maintenance, although research has shown that most Turkish minority members experience no conflict between these orientations. The present study investigates experimentally whether majority group members perceive Turkish minorities’ host culture adoption and heritage culture maintenance as conflicting orientations. Four hundred and seven Flemish majority members received a vignette that contained information on Turkish minority members’ orientation either towards heritage culture maintenance or towards host culture adoption. Results revealed that Flemish majority members perceive host culture adoption and heritage culture maintenance as conflicting orientations. Manipulating either maintenance or adoption affected Flemish majority members’ perceptions of Turkish minorities’ maintenance and adoption but in opposite directions. These results clarify why many majority group members have doubts concerning the integration of Turkish minorities.

Ethnicity and migration in Europe

This article approaches migration and ethnic diversity issues from the social psychology of intergroup relations. From an intergroup-relations perspective, minority and majority experiences of ethnic diversity are interdependent; and they are jointly shaped by the prevailing diversity climate in a particular society. Accordingly, the article consists of three main sections. The first section sketches different patterns and policies of migration and ethnic diversity at the societal level. The second section discusses majority attitudes in European societies. The third and last section shifts focus to minority experiences of acculturation against the backdrop of generally restrictive diversity climates in Europe.

Do "they" threaten "us" or do "we" disrespect "them": Majority perceptions of intergroup relations and everyday contacts with immigrant minorities

The present study examined how majority perceptions of intergroup relations afford different contact experiences with immigrant minorities. Majority students attending culturally diverse high schools first completed a survey that measured the extent to which they perceived immigrant minorities as either threatening to the majority or discriminated by the majority. Two weeks later, the same majority students kept a 1-week diary of their contacts with immigrant minorities. As expected, perceived threat at premeasurement was positively associated with situated threat-related appraisals and emotions (e.g., fear) during everyday contacts with immigrant minorities 2–3 weeks later. In contrast, acknowledgment of discrimination at premeasurement was positively associated with perspective taking and enrichment-related appraisals and emotions (e.g., admiration). These findings suggest that generalized threat perceptions can become self-enforcing through repeated threatening contact experiences; but also that an alternative perception of minorities as disrespected by the majority may underlie more positive contact experiences.