Theories of Culturally Marginal Individuals

This is a pretty good summary article about cultural marginality and intercultural sensitivity, especially focusing on first generation individuals.

I have literally only just discovered the discussions and studies of first generation individuals (and others, like global nomads.) It is strange to suffer the sensation of something for so long and then suddenly discover yourself and your experience so accurately (in a sentence like 'One of the problems typical for encapsulated marginals is that they "perceive themselves as so unique they may be incapable of envisioning a peer group with whom they can relate."')

As an English teacher I should be able to list the interwoven ironies:

Feeling 'terminally unique', and yet finding 'uniqueness' is a shared experience of those with a foot in more than one culture. ha ha.


Now: feeling jealous that that 'unique' feeling, however distressing, isn't so uniques after all. ha ha ha.


Pretending that there is now a 'peer group with whom [I] can relate." Why?! Who is reading this blog, anyway!!?

How 'bout it? I have been interviewing those few people I know with a bicultural experience, specifically Irish to begin with, in hopes of pursuing a book about real Irish and Irish American cultural isssues.

But I would certainly be interested in hearing from 1st Gen people of any ethnicity. I guess I better activate my email on this blog . . .