Integrating Pakistani and Western cultural identities through globalization-based acculturation

Abstract

Globalization has catalyzed acculturation processes across geographic distances, exposing people in Majority World contexts to Western cultural content. Consequently, individuals who internalize both their local cultural practices and identity, along with Western cultural practices and identity, must integrate these identities within their sociocultural environment, including the negotiation of local cultural expectations from ethnic peers. In the present study, we examined how Pakistani and Western cultural orientations, as well as perceived expectations to retain Pakistani cultural practices, relate to global citizenship values (i.e., meaning in life, peaceful dialogue, and global identification) through bicultural identity integration among Pakistani youth (N = 285). We found that Pakistani cultural orientation was directly linked to global citizenship values, whereas Western cultural orientation was associated with peaceful dialogue and global identification through bicultural identity integration. These results highlight that the adaptation of foreign culture must be compatible with and integrated into the local culture in order to foster pluralism and inclusion in a globalized world.