Comments on the papers in the Special Issue “Acculturation reimagined: Setting the stage for the next era of inquiry”

The six articles in the “Acculturation Reimagined” special issue are reviewed and commented on, and some gaps in the literature are noted. Some future directions for acculturation research are proposed. First, is the importance of examining all psychological acculturation phenomena in a broader context of group phenomena, including the features of the cultures that come into contact, the nature of their contact relationship, and the resultant changes in both cultures. Second, all cultures in contact need to be included in acculturation research, so that there is no longer any claim for a “missing side” of acculturation. Third, we need to distinguish between acculturation processes and outcomes. This is particularly important when discussing the concept of integration. As a process, it involves changes in daily behaviour, a strategy of double engagement in both the heritage culture and larger society, and coping with challenges and stresses encountered in the acculturation arena. As an outcome, it involves living successfully, achieving psychological wellbeing, competencies in daily living, and positive intercultural relations with members of all groups. Fourth, future research should consider that the ‘flow’ among acculturation phenomena is bi-directional, with psychological acculturation being able to ‘feedback’ to the group level-phenomena. Fifth, since acculturation phenomena occur over time, the issue of when each feature comes into play needs to be examined with longitudinal studies. Sixth, we need to look more to the social sciences and humanities for our research methods, and less to a focus on statistical methods derived from the natural sciences. Finally, the most important question for policy and practice is: what can account for the individual adaptation outcomes? We know that the experience of discrimination, both historically and at present, is a strong predictor of poor psychological, sociocultural and intercultural adaptation. What other factors play an important role? And how can this knowledge improve the lives of all people experiencing intercultural contact and acculturation?