INDIVIDUALISTIC AND COLLECTIVE INTEGRATION STRATEGIES AMONG IRANIANS IN CANADA.

Theories of intergroup relations provide a number of insights into differences between immigrants adopting heritage culture maintenance rather than assimilation integration strategies. In assessing these differences, Iranian immigrants to Canada are a suitable group to study because they seem to have a genuine choice between the two alternative integration strategies. Different patterns of responses were found for Iranians (n = 81) who chose an assimilationist option as opposed to a heritage culture maintenance option, with respect to commitment to Iranian cultural organizations, community contacts, social mobility strategies and perceived justice. However, differences were not found on self-perceptions of group membership or perceptions of personal ability. The implications of these results for future research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]