The Cross-Cultural Adaptation Of Overseas Sojourners And Settlers To The Context Of Shanghai-A Qualitative Study

Intercultural communication is strengthening new understanding about the nature of human experience in intercultural contexts. When we see culture as an ongoing process of accomplishment, it is related to the transformation of identity. People's identities are affected by intercultural immersion through the acquiring and enacting of new cultural behaviors and the dismissal of native or original cultural norms. In this way during the repetition and strengthening of new behaviors, a new third identity gradually emerges.This thesis mainly focuses on the ways that individuals perform in and adapt to a foreign culture, specifically overseas sojourners to the Shanghai context, as well as the effects of this experience on both their personal and cultural identities. It discusses the adaptation and acculturation process or mode, as well as the influential factors from a qualitative perspective.In the spirit of qualitative study, I interviewed sojourners and long-term settlers from different foreign countries who have lived in Shanghai for a minimum of three months and have formed their own views towards living in Shanghai. My primary research questions include how personal identity is negotiated throughout the whole adaptation process, how do individuals perform to experience adaptation through each facet, and what are the central factors influencing the adaptation and acculturation process.