IACCP 2008 - Bremen, Germany

Topic: Crossing Borders (Cross-)Cultural Psychology as an Interdisciplinary Multi-Method Endeavor

Date: 27th - 31st July 2008

Venue:
Jacobs University
Bremen,
Germany

Details of symposia referencing Identity Structure Analysis, and a workshop presenting the ipseus computer software

Symposium convened by Prof Peter Weinreich (University of Ulster, UK) and Dr Antoinne Gailly (Center for Mental Health - Brussels, Belgium)

Title: Incorporating indigenous psychologies within cross-cultural psychology

Abstract
Cross-cultural psychologists are aware of the apparent dilemma of being sensitive to emic perspectives while holding to etic conceptions of fundamental psychological processes. However, despite the acknowledgment of indigenous psychologies, the etic perspective has in the past been mostly provided by Western-dominated concepts that, more often than not, were imposed on other cultures. Conceptually and methodologically the approach to cross-cultural psychology was mostly driven from a Western perspective.

More recently, two broad approaches to conceptualising the inter-relationship between indigenous psychologies (emics) and cross-cultural, universal explanatory psychological principles (etics) are being effectively introduced, both concerned with how the emic may be integrated with the etic. Broadly speaking, the one approach takes its starting point to be the indigenous psychologies (emics) of different cultural formations and derives from them transcendent universals (etics) as explanatory principles across cultures (etics derived from emics); the other puts a premium on conceptualising a limited set of parameters that are held to be cross-culturally universal (etics), but applicable in such manner as to directly incorporate indigenous concerns (emics), the integration of the emic concerns with etic parameters thereby together generating explanatory principles (etics incorporating emics).

While in the past, the imposition of Western concepts and methods have at times served to obscure cross-cultural comprehension of indigenous psychological processes, the symposium presenters will directly deal with both conceptual and methodological issues concerning the inter-relationships between transcendent universals and cultural specifics. The symposium aims to debate fundamental issues about: (a) the nature of these inter-relationships, in particular, possible means of integrating emics and etics, and (b) the form of methodological tools necessary for empirical investigations that are informed by indigenous cultures, while having cross-cultural validity and points of comparison.

Bond's contribution will point out the temptation to politicize the emic-etic issue and indicate a number of procedures (etics derived from emics) that have been adopted to "scientize" the issue, so that sound empirical substance can replace the temptations to rhetoric. This will be followed by Weinreich's presentation of the conceptual and methodological tools of the Identity Structure Analysis (ISA) conceptual framework, which provides for a natural and practical integration of the emic with the etic (etics incorporating emics), and for which ethnographic input about indigenous psychologies is fundamental. Sachdev will consider the conceptual absence of language in conceptualising cross-cultural psychology, and deal with the fundamental conceptual issues of the place of language as the means of expressing indigenous cultures and communicating across linguistically different cultures. Gailly, considering the emic-etic controversy from a multicultural clinical perspective, will argue that understanding culturally and ethnically different patients requires the examination of the culture-specific wellsprings of sciences and endogenous local knowledge practices.

The symposium will end with an open discussion, whereby the two broad approaches of etics derived from emics and etics incorporating emics may be assessed in the light of the issues raised during the symposium and in consideration of their practical application to the work of cross-cultural psychologists.

Symposium Details

Symposium convened by Dr Wendy Saunderson (University of Ulster, UK) and Prof Gabriel Horenczyk (The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel)

Title: Crossing Borders: Multiculturalism and Identity Processes

Abstract
Crossing the borders of multicultural understanding and sense-making in specific socio-historical contexts - and bridging the (sometimes politicized, falsely/unnecessarily widened) 'insider-outsider' gap between establishing universalistic, overarching etically understood concepts, and privileging particularistic, emically experienced and expressed values and beliefs - this symposium presents a research approach for the practical assessment of complex identity processes in multicultural contexts and in specific socio-historical settings. The focus, therefore, of the symposium is a consideration of conceptual and methodological tools for empirical investigation of inter-cultural contexts. The objective of the symposium is to present a set of papers demonstrating the application of such methodology in different cross-cultural arenas. The underlying theme of the symposium is the etic-emic dilemma, and the issue of cross-cultural methodology being able to assess and express the universalistic (etic) whilst being able to access and respect the particularistic (emic) - in other words, the broad approach of 'etics incorporating emics'. The conceptual and methodological tools capable of answering to the focus, objective and theme of the symposium are those found in the conceptual framework of Identity Structure Analysis (ISA).

Saunderson outlines the main tenets of the conceptual and methodological tools of the Identity Structure Analysis conceptual framework before reporting preliminary findings of an ongoing study of ageing migrants in a multicultural clinical setting in the Flanders region of Belgium. In the next paper, reporting measures of etic parameters of identity, Horenczyk teases out the highly complex patterns of emic values and beliefs amongst Palestinian Christian Arabs in Israel. Often viewed as a 'double minority' (Arabs in the midst of the majority Jewish population of Israel, and Christians within Israel's dominantly Muslim Arab society), their multiple cultural allegiances and complex acculturative context pose a strong challenge to researching identity structure and process, but one that was met by ISA's sensitivity to complex emics, as incorporated in ISA etic concepts of identity structure and development. Staying with the topic/theme of minorities within majorities, the symposium then turns to Lee's detailed investigation of Chinese school children domiciled in Northern Ireland. Lee highlights some ISA etic concepts and their incorporated emic values and beliefs held by these school children, while explaining her innovative use of emic photo-collage created by the children themselves to elicit responses, for which the ipseus computer software is being exclusively customized to handle the set of visual constructs. Finally, Kirch and his team of researchers begin with the assumption that, given Estonia's EU membership in 2004, the historical context would hold reduced salience for the two main ethnic groups of Estonia, giving way to perceptions, expressions and nuances of some more modern, common European identity. However, in researching the inter-relationships between etics, emics, Estonians and Estonian Russians in Contemporary Estonia, their findings show a somewhat complex picture emerging. These and other findings, such as Estonian Russians expressing much stronger idealistic identification with 'Estonians' than with their own "titular" group, will be used to further demonstrate ISA etic concepts that incorporate emic values and beliefs in contemporary Estonia.

Symposium Details

Workshop convened by Stephen Ewart (Sycadex Ltd, UK)

Title: Cross-cultural identity projects that foreground indigenous psychologies

Abstract
Identity Structure Analysis (Weinreich & Saunderson, 2003) provides a conceptual framework of concepts and process postulates for cross-cultural investigations of identity that foreground indigenous psychologies. ISA is implemented by way of the user-friendly ipseus computer software that enables the generation of culturally-customised identity instruments in any language. The workshop demonstrates the facilities of ipseus for carrying out practical work of instrument generation, data capture, data analyses in respect of etic parameters of identity and emic qualities of identity (etic = cross-culturally universal; emic = culturally specific). Participants will be afforded practical training in the basic procedures for generating customised identity instruments and will have the opportunity of testing out these procedures with a simple instrument assessing the (etic) big five personality traits but which also accesses emic identity qualities.

Weinreich, P., & Saunderson, W. (Eds.) (2003) Analysing Identity: Cross-Cultural, Societal and Clinical Contexts. London & New York: Taylor & Francis/Routledge/Psychology Press.

Comments
On-line access to workshop ISA instrument can be available for participants with internet access (but not a requirement for attendance). Free trial of ipseus software available.

http://www.jacobs-university.de/schools/shss/kboehnke/

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