Each year, thousands of Mainland Chinese students, dubbed Hong Kong drifters, come to Hong Kong to pursue their studies. According to acculturation theory, they are acculturative groups in Hong Kong society who are placed in a new culture. Because they are minority cultural groups who have to interact with the mainstream cultural groups according to co-cultural communication theory. Both acculturation theory and co-cultural theory propose their own sets of strategies that these acculturative/minority group members adopt in response to the new/mainstream culture.
Can we make a theoretic advancement by integrating the two theories into one? If yes, how can we make use of the strengths and avoid the limits of these two theories in the integration?
This study is carried out in three phases. Firstly, it compares the similarities and contrast the differences of the two theories. Secondly, it regroups the acculturation strategies into co-cultural strategies and co-cultural strategies into acculturation strategies based on the extant literature on the communication practices of the Hong Kong drifters. Thirdly, it develops an integrated model of acculturation strategies and co-cultural communication practices.
This interdisciplinary research makes a meaningful and theoretical contribution by integrating the acculturation strategies in the cross-cultural psychology with the co-cultural approaches in the co-cultural communication. It critiques and extends both acculturation theory and co-cultural theory in ways that extend beyond their initial scopes. The association and integration of the co-cultural theorizing framework with Berry’s acculturation model creates a triangulated theoretical approach to the study of such acculturative groups/co-cultural groups as Hong Kong drifters.

Authors:
Zhaoxun Song, the Hang Seng University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong

About the Presenter(s)
Dr zhaoxun song is a University Associate Professor/Senior Lecturer at the Hang Seng University of Hong Kong in Hong Kong

See this presentation on the full schedule – Sunday Schedule

Bookmark