Ethnic and Cultural diversity in Contemporary Scandinavia: Psychosocial Challenges. (Society for Intercultural Psychology (SIP) symposium in ECP2011)

Symposium abstract:
Scandinavian societies are characterised by the public welfare system, egalitarianism and homogeneity. However, since the 1980s’, the challenges presented by the increasing ethnic diversity with multiple psychosocial consequences are being recognized.
This symposium presents contemporary responses to the above consequences through relatively under- researched phenomena: societal responses to immigrants, their psychological health across time, interethnic health communication, ‘mixing’ dynamics in intermarried couples, in Denmark, Norway and Sweden.
The first two papers enrich about the ppsycho-political processes in handling the challenges of cultural globalisation, and insights into the dynamics of shame among immigrant women through a pioneer longitudinal study. While the last two papers delineate communication between immigrants and health workers, and identity negotiation processes among the ethnically intermarried couples and ‘mixed’children.
The symposium thus challenges, by adding nuanced theoretical and empirical knowledge, the stereotypes about multiculturalism/Danishness, the stigmatised ethnic minorities and polarisation of populations into us and the others.