Intercultural relationships and cultural identity : a qualitative study.

• Main Author: Low, Pearl Shi Yun.
• Other Authors: Chen Hsueh-hua
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2011
• Subjects: DRNTU::Social sciences::Communication::Intercultural communication
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/44912
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

As different cultures come into contact with each other, it is imperative to examine the effects of cross-cultural communication, one of which is the proliferation of inter-cultural romantic relationships. The Asian-female Caucasian-male intercultural couple is of particular interest as some studies examine how they deliberately seek to date each other. In the context of Singapore, ‘Sarong Party Girl’ is the label given to Asian women who have Caucasian partners and negative connotations are attached to the term. The focus of this study examines how interaction between the Asian female and the Caucasian male influences either party’s cultural identities. Previous studies done in the U.S. examine how Asians as the minority group date White men as a symbol of their acculturation with the larger society. However, in the context of Singapore, Caucasian men are the minority. Examining both the Asian female and the Caucasian male in the context of Singapore provides a better picture of how both parties’ cultural identities are affected when they are involved in an intimate relationship. Employing qualitative in-depth interviews, it was found that individuals in inter-cultural relationships inevitably experience change in their conception of cultural identity.