Non-Western Identity: Research and Perspectives

Identity is a construct strongly rooted and still predominantly studied in Western (or WEIRD; Western, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic) contexts (e.g., North American and Western European). Only recently has there been more of a conscious effort to study identity in non-Western (or non-WEIRD) contexts. This edited volume investigates identity from primarily a non-Western perspective by studying non-Western contexts and non-Western, minority, or immigrant groups living in Western contexts. The contributions (a) examine different aspects of identity (e.g., personal identity, social identity, online identity) as either independent or interrelated constructs; (b) consider the associations of these constructs with aspects of intergroup relations, acculturative processes, and/or psychological well-being; (c) document the advancement in research on identity in underrepresented groups, contexts, and regions such as Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and South America; and (d) evaluate different approaches to the study of identity and the implications thereof. This book is intended for cultural or cross-cultural academics, practitioners, educators, social workers, postgraduate students, undergraduate students, and scholars interested in studying identity. It provides insight into how identity in non-Western groups and contexts may both be informed by and may inform Western theoretical perspectives.

Introduction -- Part 1: Identity in Underrepresented World Regions and Contexts -- Identity in Sub-Saharan Africa -- Identity Development in East Asia -- My Social, Political, and Hybrid Self: Identity in Central and South America -- Caribbean SHIFT: A Theory of Cultural Identity for Caribbean People and Diaspora -- National and Ethnoreligious Identities in Multicultural Mauritius: Group Positions and Belonging -- Identities in the South Caucasus: Still Salient and Contested -- Multiple Social Identities in the Post-Soviet Context -- Part 2: Identity of Specific Non-Western group -- Roma Ethnic Identity: Who Is and Who Is Not Roma? Between Self-Defined and External Ethnic Identification -- Being a Muslim in the Western World: A Social Identity Perspective -- Falling Outside Identity: The Creation and Boundaries of Turkish National Identity and Its Consequences for Minorities -- Cathedrals of the Spirit: Indigenous Relational Cultural Identity and Social and Emotional Well-Being -- Part 3: Identity Perspectives Important for Non-Western Context -- Perspectives on Personal Identity Development in Western and Non-Western Contexts -- From the Self to the Selfie -- Variations in Source…