“Grab Your Culture and Walk with the Global”

Abstract

The globalization-based acculturation process in the Indian Himalayan region of Ladakh represents a highly complex network of intercultural interactions. Ladakhi youth negotiate their cultural orientation and identity in relation both (a) to indirect intercultural exposure through media and (b) to intermittent cultural contact through tourism in Ladakh. Additionally, many Ladakhi students take sojourns in large Indian cities. Like other Eastern populations exposed to cultural globalization, young Ladakhis are influenced by several local and global cultural streams. Within this acculturative process, Ladakhi youth are caught between ambiguous societal pressures toward both tradition and change. Through in-depth interviews, in the present study we investigated the negotiations of eight Ladakhi students' cultural identity in Leh (Ladakh) and Delhi. In doing so, we draw pragmatically on theories of multiculturalism and dialogical self.Participants reported negotiating their cultural identity through dialogue among various personal, cultural, religious, and social voices, where these voices require selectively incorporating various cultural elements within the parameters established by societal constraints. Results indicate the vast complexity and dynamics within the Ladakhi acculturation process, with multiple interacting cultural streams, religions, and significant sociohistorical factors calling for an indepth qualitative approach to elucidating the processes underlying globalization-based acculturation.Keywords: Cultural identity, Globalization, Acculturation, Dialogical Self Theory, Ladakh, India Globalization has emerged as a major force through which individuals can acculturate to other cultural streams 1 within the context of their homelands. Although the study of cultural adaptation has been ongoing for several decades, the vast majority of this work has focused on immigration (e.g., Berry, 1997). Only recently have researchers begun to focus on globalizationrelated acculturation, wherein people are exposed to new cultural elements without leaving their countries of origin (Chen, Benet-Martínez, & Bond, 2008;Ferguson & Bornstein, 2012 Accordingly, the younger generation, especially, has been exposed to, and must balance and integrate, various cultural streams and traditions. Such integration requires tradition and family on one hand, and attention to their own personal aspirations and autonomy on the other hand. As a result of globalization, a cultural gap between youth and the parents may arise regarding authority and autonomy -which are central issues in the development of one's cultural identity (Jensen, Arnett, & McKenzie, 2011 (Dinnerstein, 2013;Gupta, 2014;Ozer, 2015). In the present study, we investigated Ladakhi college students' negotiation of multicultural identity challenges during the process of globalization in a local Ladakhi town (Leh) and in the Indian capital (Delhi). Through exploration of variations, dynamics, and nuances fundamental to the integration of multiple cultural streams ...

Remote Acculturation 101: A Primer on Research, Implications, and Illustrations from Classrooms Around the World

“…Recent comparative research in Thailand shows that globalization impacts urban and rural youths' identities and relationships differently (McKenzie, 2019). We should, however, note that rural and Indigenous communities are increasingly impacted as contact with the broader society expands through roads and media (Ozer et al, 2017).…”

Negotiating Local and Global Values in a Globalized World: The Envisioned Futures of Thai Adolescents

“…In western India, quantitative research suggests that urban middle-class early adolescents have "remixed" identities, simultaneously identifying with traditional Indian collectivistic and individualistic values, beliefs, and practices (Rao et al, 2013). Likewise, in the Ladakhi region of northern India, qualitative research suggests that emerging adults possess hybrid identities that combine traditional Ladakhi culture and global culture (Ozer et al, 2017). In urban Armenia, too, quantitative research shows that late adolescents develop global identities through exposure to worldwide media, while retaining their local Armenian identities (Huntsinger et al, 2019).…”

“…Research addressing the implications of globalization on adolescents and emerging adults has typically examined their endorsement of local and global values at present (e.g., Ferguson & Bornstein, 2012;Manago & Pacheco, 2019;Ozer et al, 2017). To be sure, though, the futures of adolescents in rapidly globalizing sociocultural contexts likely involve local and global cultural streams (McKenzie, 2019a;Ozer et al, 2017).…”

“…Mounting evidence from Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America suggests that modern globalization renders local and global cultures salient in youth identity formation (Ferguson & Bornstein, 2012;Hansen et al, 2014;Huntsinger et al, 2019;Manago & Pacheco, 2019;McKenzie, 2019a;Ozer et al, 2017;Rao et al, 2013;Shin, 2019). Such research suggests that youth growing up in nearly every corner of the world navigate both local and global practices and beliefs when forming their identities.…”

Globalization and identity development among emerging adults from Ladakh.

“…Consequently, we examined the following three hypotheses (see Figure 1). First, Ladakhi cultural orientation would relate positively, both directly and indirectly to psychological well-being, given that heritage-culture retention may be adaptive (Ferguson & Bernstein, 2012;Ozer et al, 2017).…”