La Vivencia Entre Dos Culturas: Los Retos Identitarios Y Desafíos En El Camino Hacia La Integración

Abstract

In the globalized society of the twenty-first century the number of people who decide to leave behind their home country is constantly increasing. This experience often includes a double set of homes, family, friends, and even two voices. It is hypothesized that the subjects create a double self-image, which is influenced by two cultures that form part of their identity and evokes a feeling of being torn between two worlds. In order to verify this hypothesis, semi-structured in- depth interviews were conducted with 8 individuals of German and Colombian descent. It appears that the subjects resist to explicitly admit the duality of their cultural identity, even though they confirm to identify themselves with various aspects of the foreign culture. This paper also reviews the potential difficulties and challenges related to the process of integration in the host country as well as the strategies employed by individuals to overcome these obstacles and live successfully in another culture. But unexpectedly, the results show that the subjects face more difficulties of repatriation when returning to the place they once called home.