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Migration, even within a country, means leaving behind family, friends, community and culture and moving to another place. Research on sojourners and long term migrants shows a typical U-curve of adjustment and corresponding theories of culture shock, culture learning, stress and coping, social identification and cultural synergy. All migrants demonstrate a transition process, with a downturn in coping for some period, which rebuilds into adjustment. Migrants will initially struggle to create new identities in a new culture whilst simultaneously trying to maintain who they are, and fundamental beliefs and values in relation to their home culture. At the same time, migrants often experience various levels of both overt and covert racism which makes the adjustment process more difficult. For many, the downwards component of the adjustment spiral becomes elongated and manifests into a poor level of confidence which does not restore itself. Ongoing prejudice and systemic racism, if present, can exacerbate this lack of confidence and creates a level of discomfort in the new culture which becomes very difficult to overcome. Our position is that the ability to move out of this bottom point in the curve depends on the unique context in which each individual finds him/herself, interactions between different aspects of that unique context and the support made available. |
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