ABSTRACT
This chapter explores biculturalism, or the ability to switch cultural frames for seeing, knowing, and interrelating with the world. Biculturalism involves psychological movement between two cultural contexts. One group of psychologists writes, "Bicultural individuals are typically described as people who have internalized two cultures to the extent that both cultures are alive inside of them." Another way of defining biculturalism is as follows: "Biculturality, or integration, as it is sometimes referred to in the cross-cultural literature, is the maintenance of one's ethnic culture while participating in the host culture." Biculturalism and multiculturalism can become the mode at this stage of ethnic identity. At this stage there is a complete immersion in a person's ethnic culture. African Americans attend political and cultural affairs that focus on black issues. Ethnic identity provides a means of narrowing the meaning of ethnicity. A person's ethnic identity acts as a filter for interpreting the actions of other people.
