Living Between Two Cultures : Intercultural communication of Chinese immigrants in Uppsala

The research has focused on Chinese immigrants in Uppsala and the purpose of the research is to find out how intercultural communication has influenced the beliefs of Chinese immigrants in Uppsala. The beliefs here refer to ideas about family, education, workplace, and the state with regard to Hofstede et al.’s dimensions of national cultures. The thesis will focus on two dimensions: power distance and masculinity versus femininity. Two main concepts that are used in the thesis are intercultural communication and acculturation. In order to understand these two concepts, different models are introduced in the thesis: Gudykunst & Kim’s (1997) intercultural communication model, John Berry’s (2005) acculturation model, and Hofstede et al.’s acculturation curve. The research has used semi-structured interview as the main methodology and the research has conducted twelve interviews. The research shows that intercultural communication has influenced the beliefs of Chinese immigrants in Uppsala with regard to family, school, workplace, and the state in power distance and masculinity versus femininity. Justifications on beliefs in family, school, workplace, and the state have been displayed in the research