Non-Western Identity: Research and Perspectives

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 currently an Assistant Professor of Work and Organizational Psychology at the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands and a Senior Research Associate at the University of Johannesburg in South Africa. During the production of this book, he also held an Assistant Professorship at Tilburg University in the Netherlands and a Visiting Professorship at Ghent University in Belgium. His general research focuses on themes of identity as a broad construct and its relation with acculturation, inclusion, diversity, and psychosocial functioning across cultures, within different life domains and lifespans. He currently serves on the Governing Council for the Society for the Study of Emerging Adulthood (SSEA) and is a board member of the committee Cultural Diversity (NIP).

Fons (A) J. R. van de Vijver (1952-2019) held the chair in cross-cultural psychology at Tilburg University in the Netherlands and extraordinary chairs at North-West University in South Africa, the University of Queensland in Australia, and the Higher School of Economics in Russia. He (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 was the former editor of the Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, the former president of Division 2 (Assessment and Evaluation) of the International Association of Applied Psychology, the European Association of Psychological Assessment, and the International Association for Cross-Cultural Psychology. In 2013, he was the recipient of the International Award of the American Psychological Association (for his contributions to international cooperation and the advancement of knowledge of psychology)