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Introducing Remote Enculturation: Learning Your Heritage Culture From Afar
Author(s) -
Ferguson Gail M.,
Costigan Catherine L.,
Clarke Christy V.,
Ge Julianna S.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
child development perspectives
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3
H-Index - 71
eISSN - 1750-8606
pISSN - 1750-8592
DOI - 10.1111/cdep.12181
Subject(s) - enculturation , socialization , construct (python library) , acculturation , psychology , transculturation , ethnic group , sociology , social psychology , anthropology , pedagogy , computer science , programming language
Can youth living outside their heritage country become enculturated from afar via avenues of modern globalization? In this article, we expand the theory of how heritage cultural socialization occurs in transnational families by introducing the construct of remote enculturation as a modern form of cultural transmission. Remote enculturation falls within the cultural socialization category of ethnic/racial socialization and is a form of enculturation that involves learning aspects of one's heritage culture via indirect or intermittent exposure, or both. We compare and contrast remote enculturation with traditional enculturation, proposing that self‐initiated remote enculturation, in particular, has strong ties with the development of identity. Research on immigrants’ consumption of foreign media and on parenting international adoptees supports remote enculturation as a distinct avenue of cultural learning, as do the experiences of youth from immigrant families. We conclude with a research agenda to empirically evaluate the construct of remote enculturation.