Semiotic Dynamics of Intercultural Communication and Its Meaning for Self-Construction: Theory of Proculturation

Gamsakhurdia, Vladimer Lado

doi:10.1007/978-3-031-06301-5_5

Cited by 6 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…The quarantines during the COVID-19 pandemic inhibited several individuals from accessing opportunities to socialize with the host culture, with some participants continuing their studies in their home country for one academic year. All participants continued their academic studies online throughout quarantines, meaning that the signs of their home environment changed as the academic and home environment merged ( Gamsakhurdia, 2022a ). Participants seemed to report that a virtual environment could not provide the same signs as the face-to-face environment and that some of these unreachable signs were part of one’s self-construct.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Proculturation has been studied in the context of macro-cultural changes, such as the pandemic of COVID-19 ( Gamsakhurdia, 2022a ). It has previously been emphasized the importance of macro-cultural contexts when trying to understand the experiences of immigrants at a micro-level ( Doucerain et al, 2013 ).…”

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confidence: 99%

“…However, the recent event of COVID-19 which led to national lockdowns has made these social settings unavailable. Gamsakhurdia (2022a) has analysed proculturation in the context of COVID-19, describing how distancing from a sign is a form of engagement with it; however, they did so using online anonymous communication, meaning that interpretations were made without the insight of individuals’ life experiences. This leaves a gap in academic research to understand proculturation in the context of COVID-19 in a migratory population while also considering their unique backgrounds.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Exploring experiences of proculturation in international students during the COVID-19 pandemic

Correia

Watkins

2023

Culture & Psychology

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This study intends to find what are the experiences of international students semiotically adapting to unfamiliar signs in the United Kingdom before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with six international university students to learn about their experiences of adapting to a new country. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. Two themes were classified as dialogical self in interpersonal adaptation and linguistic elements of semiotic adaptation, each with two subthemes. Participants’ experiences of merging self-constructs seem reflective of proculturation theory. The researchers termed ‘language bridges’ to refer to social representations dependent on language-specific signs. Some of the participants’ self-constructs relied on signs not provided by the environment during the COVID-19 pandemic. Overall, proculturation offers insight into the complex psychological and social processes of adapting to unfamiliar signs.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

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Exploring experiences of proculturation in international students during the COVID-19 pandemic

Correia

Watkins

2023

Culture & Psychology

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“…Therefore, a second theoretical consideration would be that instead of an integration of two cultures, former refugees rather experience the formation of a new cultural identity. Indeed, when people integrate their different cultural belongings, rather than a simple bicultural identity, some new form might evolve that is different from both previously existing cultures that interacted 2 (see Gamsakhurdia, 2022 ). This new cultural identity is neither the identification with the culture of origin nor with the dominant culture of the receiving country, but it could be an identification with being multicultural (see also Barros & Albert, 2020a ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Former Refugees’ Acculturation Processes and Their Views on Newly Arrived Refugees in Germany

Kämmer

Albert

2023

Hu Arenas

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Research on the rising number of refugees migrating to Germany has seldom considered experiences of refugees who fled to Germany several years ago and went through the process of acculturation themselves. In the present study, we investigated acculturation processes of former refugees and their views on newly arrived refugees in Germany and discuss the lessons that can be learned by society and the political system from their lived experiences. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted and analyzed by using qualitative content analysis. The sample consisted of five former refugees from the countries Iran, Iraq, and Togo. The results illustrate their acculturation processes in Germany and their attempt to integrate different, sometimes opposing cultures into their everyday lives. Ambivalent opinions on the new arrivals and the integration politics in Germany in 2015/16 (the so-called “refugee crisis”) become visible. On the one hand, empathy and solidarity towards newly arriving refugees are mentioned; on the other hand, worries are expressed and demands are made of them. On the political level, the welcoming attitude is appreciated, but clear regulations are desired. The results strongly suggest that former refugees should be included, and their personal experiences of immigration should be more thoroughly considered in decision making within integration politics.

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“…Recent COVID-19 pandemics created precisely such a dramatic transformation in many countries. This paper considers Covid-19-related developments as an example of proculturative experience that implies the resignification of daily habits, lifestyle, selfhood, views/norms/values and expectations concerning future developments in light of the new context and assumedly, leads to the creation of novel cultural forms ( Gamsakhurdia, 2018 ; 2019b ; 2020b , 2022 ). More particularly, this paper aims to contribute to a better understanding of COVID-19-related semiotic dynamics by identifying semiotic strategies which are used to make sense of newly introduced powerful semiotic entities.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

‘Exploring strategies of semiotic mediation – Making sense of COVID-19’

Gamsakhurdia

2022

Culture & Psychology

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Human meaning-making becomes particularly dramatic at times of social or biological calamities. COVID-19 appeared in the winter of 2020 and had an immense catalytic influence on peoples' lives worldwide. New coronavirus was a new object for many people and they needed the challenge to make sense of it. The meaning of new coronavirus influenceed an individual’s self-positioning in relation to the new threat in the context of related developments. This manuscript reveals the diversity in mediating new coronavirus among discussants representing the same ethnocultural community. Taking the perspective of cultural psychology of semiotic dynamics, we assume that people would make sense of the new coronavirus sourcing semiotic resources from the socio-cultural context; however, simultaneously it is argued that there are no hegemonic ways of reacting to COVID-19. Individuals are considered not passive recipients of external guidance but rather proactive agents whose interpretants serve as regulators of internal and hetero dialogues. Through our exploration, we identified the variety of semiotic techniques which are used by individuals whilst making sense of new signs and developments through various ways of their schematisation and pleromatization. The online-ethnographic research approach was taken to explore various forms of COVID-19 mediation.

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Semiotic Dynamics of Intercultural Communication and Its Meaning for Self-Construction: Theory of Proculturation

Cited by 6 publications

References 41 publications

Exploring experiences of proculturation in international students during the COVID-19 pandemic

Exploring experiences of proculturation in international students during the COVID-19 pandemic

Former Refugees’ Acculturation Processes and Their Views on Newly Arrived Refugees in Germany

‘Exploring strategies of semiotic mediation – Making sense of COVID-19’

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