“Togetherness in Difference”: Perceived Personal Discrimination and Acculturation Preferences among Internal Migrants in a Poor Urban Community in Accra
Loading...
Date
2018
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Journal of Asian and African Studies
Abstract
This paper assesses the relative effects of acculturation preferences (assimilation, separation, integration, and
marginalization) on migrants’ perception of acceptability in James Town, a traditional urban neighborhood
in Accra, Ghana. There is a paucity of academic work on the relationship between migrants’ acculturation
inclinations and their assessment of the hosts’ attitude towards them in Ghana. Cognizant of the fluidity of
acculturation strategies, the study focuses on individual inclinations towards acculturation. To examine migrants’
perception of acceptability by the host, we use perceived personal discrimination. We utilize results from a semistructured
questionnaire administered to 301 migrant individuals from different migrant households in James
Town. Our findings suggest that migrants with assimilation preferences are less likely to have a higher rating on
the extent to which they are discriminated against by the host population. Such an exploratory study is pertinent
to understanding relationships (conflicts or “togetherness in difference”) in poor multi-ethnic settings.
Description
Janice Desire Busingye
Kampala International University, Kampala, Uganda
Keywords
Acculturation, Internal migration, Ghana, Assimilation, Integration, Cultural relations