2.3.8—Acculturation models
- Syllabus
- First assessment 2027
- Objective
- 2.3.8
- Level
- SL
Acculturation is adaptation between cultures, not a one-way replacement
Acculturation is the process of adapting when people encounter a culture different from the one in which they were raised. It can involve maintaining parts of the original culture while participating in the new one.
Common strategy labels include integration, assimilation, separation and marginalisation, but real lives can shift across settings and time. Acculturation is bidirectional: migrants change while also influencing the receiving culture.
A student may keep a home language and religious practice while joining a new school's friendships and routines. The combination is not evidence that one culture has disappeared; stress may arise if participation is forced or unsupported.
Integration is not automatically the best outcome for every person, and acculturation is not the same as enculturation. Describe the choices, constraints and social response before inferring wellbeing or identity.