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Are intercultural contacts dangerous or profitable for person and society? Intercultural relations in Russia and Latvia
Background. The project Mutual Intercultural Research in Plural Societies (MIRIPS) is designed to examine the three hypotheses of intercultural relations (multiculturalism hypothesis, integration hypothesis and contact hypothesis) that have been derived from the Canadian multiculturalism policy (Berry, 1984) in a number of countries, and to assess their validity in these countries. Objective. The evaluation of these hypotheses in Russia and Latvia. Design. Socio-psychological surveys of two dominant groups (Russian Muscovites and Latvians), and two non-dominant groups (migrants from Caucasus in Moscow and Russian minority in Riga) employing structural equation modeling. Results. The sense of perceived security promotes tolerance toward other cultural groups in three samples. Perceived security has no significant relationship with multicultural ideology in the Moscow samples; but in the group of Latvians we have discovered such relationship. A preference for the integration strategy among migrants in Moscow as well as among Russians in Latvia promotes their better sociocultural adaptation and has a significant impact on the life satisfaction of Muscovites, but has no any impact in Latvian sample. Our results have provided some support for the effect of intercultural contact on acceptance of others in three groups: migrants in Moscow, the Russian minority in Riga and the dominant group in Moscow. However, among Russians in Latvia, there is a negative relationship between contacts and perceived security. Conclusion. The multiculturalism hypothesis has been confirmed with the dominant group in Latvia and has been partly confirmed with both dominant and non-dominant groups in Russia, and with the Russian minority in Latvia. Contact hypothesis has received partial support with both groups in Moscow and the Russian minority in Riga, but was not confirmed with Latvians. There is partial support for the role of the Integration in promoting sociocultural adaptation and wellbeing with migrants in Moscow and Muscovites. These findings require additional analysis of the sociopolitical and historical context in Latvia in order to understand the psychological outcomes of acculturation among the Russian minority.