Cultural Identity and Experiences of Prejudice and Discrimination of Afghan and Iranian Immigrant Youth

Abstract

In culturally diverse and immigrant receiving societies, immigrant youth can be subject to prejudice and discrimination. Such experiences can impact on immigrant youth's cultural identity and influence their psychosocial outcomes. This paper presents findings of a study that examined cultural identity and experiences of prejudice and discrimination among Afghan (N=9) and Iranian (N=17) immigrant youth in Canada. The study had a prospective, comparative, longitudinal qualitative design. Data was gathered through focus groups, interviews, journals and field logs. Four main themes emerged on participants' experiences of prejudice and discrimination: (a) societal factors influencing prejudice; (b) personal experiences of discrimination; (c) fear of disclosure and silenced cultural identity; and (d) resiliency and strength of cultural identity. Drawing from Rosenberg's (Conceiving the self, Basic Books, New York, 1979) self-concept framework and Romero and Roberts (J. Adolesc., 21:641-656, 1998) distinction between prejudice and discrimination, results indicated that youth's extant and presenting cultural identity were affected. Inclusive policies and practices are needed to promote youth integration in multicultural and immigrant receiving settings.Prejudice and discrimination in post-migration contexts can impact on the cultural identity of immigrant youth. Such experiences can also shape the settlement, integration and sense of belonging of newcomer youth. Different immigrant groups can experience varying degrees of prejudice and discrimination in their countries of settlement, which often are influenced by broader historical and contextual factors, that can ultimately influence their cultural identity and acculturation process (Jasinskaja-Lahti et al. 2003;Phinney et al. 2001Phinney et al. , 2006. Adolescent attitudes towards the larger society can range in strength from a positive sense of belonging to feelings of exclusion (

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