bicultural

Dictionary: bi·cul·tur·al (bī-kŭl'chər-əl) pronunciation

adj.
Of or relating to two distinct cultures in one nation or geographic region: bicultural education.

biculturalism bi·cul'tur·al·ism n.

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Encyclopedia of Public Health: Biculturalism

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Biculturalism implies the existence of two distinct cultural groups, usually of unequal status and power, within a society united by one economic and political structure. Research indicates that biculturalism and acculturation can influence inter-generational differences in health beliefs and behaviors for certain U.S. ethnic groups. Unlike acculturated individuals, bicultural individuals identify with core elements of their culture of origin as well as the dominant culture. Bicultural individuals successfully integrate into and participate in important aspects of both cultures, values, and belief systems. Such people are especially valuable in program planning, outreach, and implementation.

Bibliography

Chavez, L. E.; Hubbell, E. A.; McMullen, J. M.; Martinez, R. A.; and Mishra, S. J. (1995). "Structure and Meaning in Models of Breast and Cervical Cancer Risk Factors: A Comparison of Perception among Latinas, Anglo Women, and Physicians." Medical Anthropological Quarterly 9:40–74.

Chen, M., and Koh, H. (1997). "The Need for Cancer Prevention and Control among Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders." Asian American and Pacific Islander Journal of Health 5:3–6.

English, J. G., and Le, A. (1999). "Assessing Needs and Planning, Implementing, and Evaluating Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Programs among Asian American Population Groups." In Promoting Health in Multicultural Populations: A Handbook for Practitioners, eds. R. M. Huff and M. V. Klein. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

— JUNE GUTIERREZ ENGLISH

Wikipedia: Biculturalism

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This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (December 2008)

Biculturalism in sociology involves two originally distinct cultures in some form of co-existence.

A policy recognizing, fostering or encouraging biculturalism typically emerges in countries that have emerged from a history of national or ethnic conflict in which neither side has gained complete victory. This condition usually arises as a consequence of settlement by colonists. Resulting conflicts may take place either between colonisers and indigenous peoples (as in Fiji) and/or between rival groups of colonisers (note the case of South Africa). A deliberate policy of biculturalism influences the structures and decisions of governments to ensure that they allocate political and economic power and influence equitably between people and/or groups identified with the opposite sides of the cultural divide.

Examples include the conflicts between Anglophone and Francophone Canadians, between Māori and Pākehā New Zealanders and between Anglophone White South Africans and Boers.

The term biculturalism was originally adopted^{[by whom?]} in the Canadian context. Because the word "biculturalism" suggests, more or less explicitly, that only two cultures merit formal recognition, advocates of multiculturalism (for which it formed a precedent^{[citation needed]}) may regard bicultural outlooks as inadequately progressive in comparison.

In the context of relations between the cultures of deafness and non-deafness, people find the word "biculturalism" less controversial because the distinction (between spoken language and sign language) commonly seems like a genuine binary distinction — transcending the distinctions between various spoken languages.

In the context of the United States of America, bicultural distinctions have traditionally existed between America and Mexico, and between the White and the African American population of the United States.

As different cases of biculturalism with some sort of formal recognition, note:

Belgium, divided basically between speakers of French and of Flemish
Vanuatu, formerly a condominion with both French and British politico-administrative traditions
the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, retrospectively termed "The Commonwealth of Both Peoples"
Switzerland, overwhelmingly German and French in language (though with recognition of Italian and Romansch)
Paraguay, with a population 90% of which speaks Guaraní and 75% of which speaks Spanish

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		Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more
		Encyclopedia of Public Health. Encyclopedia of Public Health. Copyright © 2002 by The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more
		Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Biculturalism". Read more
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bicultural

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