The negative effects of being a ‘late’ newcomer during an expatriation assignment

In some situations, expatriate managers and their families are encapsulated in expatriate enclaves for safety and social reasons. This type of living arrangement is frequently seen in the Middle East and other locations where safety for family members are of a high level of concern. Even in situations without strict compound-like arrangements, enclaves of expatriates are formed with their own group characteristics. It is anticipated that as MNCs focus on transition economies and emerging market countries, these enclaves and the adjustment of an expatriate to not only the cultural disparities but to these established groups will have an impact on expatriate success. This paper addresses the issues associated with being a ‘late newcomer’ to one of these self-contained compounds and the difficulties of becoming integrated into the social systems established in these enclaves. The appropriate type/level of social and organizational support is also examined.     

Personal reactions to ‘strange’ situations: Attachment styles and acculturation attitudes of immigrants and majority members

A growing number of studies examine the influence of individual factors on acculturation attitudes of immigrants, but few studies focus on majority members’ attitudes. In this paper, two studies are reported on the relation between attachment styles and acculturation attitudes of both immigrants (N=177) and majority members (N=243) in the Netherlands. Until now very few studies have associated cultural adjustment with attachment styles. This is remarkable, because attachment theory refers to interaction with others in new situations. Four different styles of attachment (the secure, dismissing, preoccupied and fearful attachment styles) are related to Berry's classification of acculturation attitudes. People, both immigrants and majority members, with a secure attachment style were positive towards integration, whereas people with a dismissing attachment style were not. Dismissing immigrants were more positive towards separation. Whereas both immigrants and majority members with a secure attachment style showed a similar pattern of correlations between attachment and acculturation, they seem to react quite differently, and even in opposite ways, when they have a preoccupied attachment style. Yet, the different reactions may be caused by the same psychological process: The existential ambivalence of preoccupied people may lead to diverse reactions.     

“My Guitar is Not for the Rich”: The New Chilean Song Movement and the Politics of Culture

El análisis del movimiento de la Nueva Canción Chilena, de gran popularidad a fines de la década de los 60 y principios de los 70, puede guiarnos hacia la conexión entre temas políticos y culturales, al tiempo que ayuda a aclarar parte de la compleja narrativa de esta época. Por lo menos el enfoque de la política en la cultura, y viceversa, demuestra que esitía un nexo claro entre las ideas políticas y económicas de los líderes de izquierda y de los artistas. En este artículo se hace precisamente el estudio de la narrativa de la Nueva Canción Chilena y su relación estrecha con el movimiento político de izquierda anterior a la elección de Salvador Allende.