THE MAINTENANCE AND CONSTRUCTION OF CULTURAL IDENTITY
THE MAINTENANCE AND CONSTRUCTION OF CULTURAL IDENTITY

THE CASE OF FOREIGN MINORS

Summary/Abstract: This paper draws to investigate, in a theoretical perspective, the maintenance and the construction of cultural identity of the country of origin in the case of foreign children: adopted or immigrants. In this reflection, we find a company that, from the perspective of globalization and social changes, has certainly helped transform the identity and culture concepts. It's possible to show that, following the recent waves of immigration, Italy is shown as one of the first places of "stabilization" of individual immigrants and immigrant families and as a result this has led to a broad reflection and taking charge from social, health and educational services. In this light, it is important to dwell mainly on identity construction processes of so-called "second generation" taking into account the changes that children and adolescents of foreign origin live. In the case of immigrant families, in fact, children are the center of cultural comparison of the entire family, as they are the first to have and maintain contacts and relations with the departments and institutions. As for foreign minors adopted, however, we see the same need for cultural identity at the base of the individual's identity construction. It seems important, in fact, that the adoptive parents contribute to the support and understanding of the culture of the country of the child's home to use as a protective factor to any discrimination and as a pillar of identity formation of the individual foreigner.

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