Identity in Non-Western Groups and Contexts: Defining the Self in the Majority World

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.

Byron G. Adams is an Industrial Psychologist from Johannesburg, South Africa. He holds a Ph.D. from Tilburg University, the Netherlands. He is currently an Assistant Professor of Work and Organizational Psychology at Tilburg University, the Netherlands and a Senior Research Associate at the University of Johannesburg, South Africa. His research interests include the study of identity across different groups (i.e., cultural, gender, and national groups), life stages (i.e., adolescents and emerging adults) and life domains (i.e., school and work). He considers how identity informs psychosocial functioning, in particular as related to inclusion, discrimination, and well-being. He currently serves on the Governing Council for the Society of Emerging Adulthood has published in such journals as the Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, Assessment, and the International Journal of Intercultural Relations.

Fons van de Vijver holds a chair in cross-cultural psychology at Tilburg University, the Netherlands and an extraordinary chair at North-West University, South Africa, and the University of Queensland, Australia. He has (co-)authored more than 500 publications, mainly in the domain of cross-cultural psychology. The main topics in his research involve bias and equivalence, psychological acculturation and multiculturalism, cognitive similarities and differences, response styles, translations and adaptations. He is the former editor of the Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology. He is a former president of Division 2 (Assessment and Evaluation) of the International Association of Applied Psychology, the European Association of Psychological Assessment, and President of the International Association for Cross-Cultural Psychology. He is the 2013 recipient of the International Award of the American Psychological Association (for his contributions to international cooperation and to the advancement of knowledge of psychology).