ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the complex relationship between resilience and culture, in the context of immigration, with a focus on acculturation stress. This stress is seen as a potential daily adversity in individuals constantly dealing with dissonance between two or more cultures. Taking the form of a critical review of the literature, this chapter presents some relevant results of a recent phenomenological study of Second-Generation Chinese Canadians (SGCC) of Yeung (2018), leading to the proposal of key factors for resilience, which improves the adaption and well-being of SGCC. These individuals must deal with two different cultures daily: their heritage Chinese culture and the host mainstream Canadian culture. In order to reach the above goal, this chapter is divided into three main parts. The first part will define terms such as resilience, culture and acculturation. A brief introduction to the role of culture in resilience will follow. The second part will deepen our understanding of the influence of culture on resilience, focusing on the context of acculturation. Then, we will briefly refer to Gilbert Durand’s anthropological theory of imaginary, which is considered culturally sensitive to both Western and Eastern worldviews (Wunenburger, 2013). The third part will present some key factors of resilience, fostering a better adaptation and increased well-being for immigrants, mostly SGCC, living in the context of acculturation.
