Redefining the Mainstream: A Review and Meta-Analysis of the Evolving Dynamics of Majority-Group Acculturation

Socio-historical factors–including coloniality–have perpetuated the long-standing neglect of cultural change among majority groups but also recently catalysed a paradigm shift. After outlining the theoretical pillars of majority-group acculturation, a meta-analysis of 37 studies (11,024 participants, 445 effects) is presented, demonstrating that majority-group members on average tend to maintain their own culture more than they adopt other cultures. The relationship between these acculturation orientations is more positive in settler society contexts than in nation-state and former colonial power contexts. Intercultural sensitivity, pro-diversity orientations, intergroup contact, and global identity are key correlates of higher other culture adoption. Whereas own culture maintenance is related to more national inclinations, unwelcoming ideologies, and threat perceptions, it does not seem to generally reflect a rejection of other cultures. Critical limitations in the current literature accentuate the necessity of integrating power dynamics, distinguishing genuine cultural adoption from cultural appropriation, and transcending static, two-dimensional models of acculturation.