Expanding the margins of identity: A critique of marginalization in a globalized world

In an increasingly globalized world, global culture may constitute an alternative
cultural resource, especially for members of ethnic minority groups who have often
been described as marginalized in acculturation research. In the present study, we
investigated the role that global identity may play for the self-concept and the psychological
and sociocultural adaptation of ethnic minority members, especially those who
score high on marginalization. We explored these relationships in 848 European
Muslim minority members. Marginalized participants showed lower ethnic identity but
the same or even stronger global identity compared with nonmarginalized participants.
No difference in sociocultural adaptation was observed between nonmarginalized
participants and marginalized individuals, when the latter expressed strong global
identification. Moreover, in terms of ethnic discrimination, increasing one’s global
identity was related to better psychological adaptation compared with increasing one’s
ethnic identity, although coefficients remained small. Based on our results, we, in line
with other researchers, argue for a reevaluation and differentiation of the concept
“marginalization,” which has mostly been viewed in negative terms. Additional available
cultural resources, such as global identity, may offset the negative relation between
marginalization and adaptation and may mediate the effect of ethnic discrimination on
psychological adaptation.