Intercultural relations in plural societies

How can peoples of many and diverse cultural backgrounds come to live together successfully in culturally plural societies? The central issue for psychologists is how psychological research (theory and data) might contribute to an answer to this question, and perhaps influence public policy in this domain. Two research traditions have been concerned with this issue. One is the study of acculturation, which refers to the process of cultural change that results when two (or more) cultural groups come into contact as well as the psychological changes that individuals experience as a result of being members of cultural groups that are undergoing acculturation at the group or collective level. The second research tradition is that of ethnic relations; it is concerned with understanding how individuals perceive, evaluate and behave towards each other, both within and across ethnic group boundaries. This paper reviews a program of research on these two traditions that seeks to contribute to the understanding and management of intercultural relations in Canada.