Remote Enculturation: Measuring the Diverse Ways in which Individuals Learn about their Heritage Culture from Afar

Remote enculturation (RE), a complement to traditional enculturation, refers in our work to covertly or overtly learning about one’s heritage culture in indirect/intermittent ways. RE is relevant to anyone who identifies with a heritage culture in which s/he does not reside, including individuals who immigrated as children, have immigrant parents, are racial/ethnic minorities, or are internationally adopted.

We report on a new measure assessing seven specific RE avenues: communication, ethnic media, visits, food, holidays, social media, and classes. Data were collected from 177 diverse university students in Canada (72.9% female, M_age=20.42; 59.3% born in Canada). We found that RE is common: an average of 4.98 avenues were endorsed (SD = 1.44). Preparing food and communicating with family from afar were endorsed by the highest percentage of participants. Watching/listening to ethnic media and using social media to stay connected to current events were most frequent and most likely to be self-initiated. Grandparents were most involved in the initiation of holiday celebrations. Males and females were very similar. Lower ethnic density in the current community tended to be associated with an earlier start and more frequent engagement with RE. Greater ethnic density was associated with more use of ethnic media and celebration of holidays; those born in Canada were more likely to enroll in formal classes. RE activities were more likely to be self-initiated for immigrants and parent-initiated for non-immigrants. Results are discussed in terms of the most common pathways of RE and the ways in which cultural context shapes RE experiences.