Rethinking 'acculturation' in relation to diasporic cultures and postcolonial identities

In this article, we reexamine the concept of 'acculturation' in cross-cultu ral psychology, especially with respect to non-western, non-European immigr ants living in the United States. By drawing primarily on postcolonial scho larship, we specifically reconsider the universalist assumption in cross-cu ltural psychology that all im migrant groups undergo the same kind of 'psyc hological' acculturation process. In so doing, (1) we consider some of the historical and political events related to immigration in the United States ; (2) we question the conflation of nation with culture that emerges in ma ny theories of acculturation; (3) we use the notion of diaspora as theorize d in postcolonial studies to rethink the concept of 'integration strategy' as developed in cross-cultural psychology. Our article has implications for general issues of culture and self in human development, and particular is sues in the area of acculturation.