Constructing Cultural Identity: Intercultural Adaptation and Transformation Demonstrated by Integrated Global Studies (IGS) Students at Hiroshima University

This paper provides an analysis of relations between religion, nationalism, cultural identity construction and cognitive elements in four social domains. This pilot study investigated how perceptions and beliefs relating to religious and political social constructs may have some impact to reframe students’ attitudes towards multiculturalism and their cultural identities. Based on analysis of four domains--Religion, Nationalism, Cognition, and Multiculturalism--67 Japanese and international students in the Integrated Global Studies (IGS) program at Hiroshima University students self-analyzed and reported their intercultural experiences throughout their lives. We investigated the adaptive experiences of participants exposed to a multicultural environment and explored their personal intercultural transformations, accompanied by changes in their cultural identities.