The challenge of being both local and global: bicultural identity integration among indigenous Ladakhi youth in Delhi

Ladakhi emerging adults have been exposed to cultural globalization through interaction with tourists and media, as well as through prolonged stays at globalized university contexts in major Indian cities. This globalization process has been hypothesized as detrimental to psychological health, in pa...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Ozer, Simon; Benet-Martínez, Verónica; Schwartz, Seth J.
Format: Article
Status:Accepted version
Publication date:2021
Country:España
Institution:Universitat Pompeu Fabra
Repository:Repositorio Digital de la UPF
OAI Identifier:oai:repositori.upf.edu:10230/59634
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/10230/59634
http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/00220221211025760
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:Globalization
Acculturation
Biculturalism
Cultural identity
Bicultural identity integration
Ladakh
Description
Summary:Ladakhi emerging adults have been exposed to cultural globalization through interaction with tourists and media, as well as through prolonged stays at globalized university contexts in major Indian cities. This globalization process has been hypothesized as detrimental to psychological health, in part because it poses the challenge of integrating a local Ladakhi identity with a global Western cultural identity. In the present study, we examined how exposure to cultural globalization and bicultural identity integration (tendency to bring together one’s local and global identities) moderates the positive links of Ladakhi and Western cultural orientation with psychological well-being among Ladakhis studying in Delhi (N = 196). We found that exposure to cultural globalization did not affect the positive association between cultural orientation and psychological well-being. Moreover, bicultural harmony and blendedness were associated with a weaker relationship between Ladakhi cultural orientation and psychological well-being and, additionally, a stronger association between Western cultural orientation and well-being. Our results highlight contemporary challenges related to being both local and global in a culturally globalized context.