Migrant Identities in Conflict: Acculturation Attitudes and Perceived Acculturation Ideologies

Maines (1978) has provided us with the important distinction between two different processes involved in inter- and intracultural migration, namely, the migration of “bodies” and the migration of “selves”. Societies dealing with massive influxes of immigrants naturally tend to concentrate their main efforts on coping with the great demands posed by the migration of “bodies”, which exert the most urgent pressure on the host institutions. Thus, issues connected with the meeting of migrants’ material needs, such as housing and employment, are foremost on the absorption agenda.