دانشگاه شهید بهشتی نقد زبان و ادبیات خارجی 20087330 23 36 2026 03 21 Acculturation Process in Tishani Doshi’s The Pleasure Seekers: From Identity Crisis to Integration into the Host Culture Acculturation Process in Tishani Doshi’s The Pleasure Seekers: From Identity Crisis to Integration into the Host Culture 55 64 106509 10.48308/clls.2025.241694.1386 FA هدا شب رنگ دانشیار زبان و ادبیات انگلیسی ، گروه زبان انگلیسی، دانشکده علوم انسانی، دانشگاه خاتم، تهران، ایران سارا گودرزی دانشجوی کارشناسی ارشد زبان و ادبیات انگلیسی، گروه زبان انگلیسی، دانشکده علوم انسانی، دانشگاه خاتم، تهران، ایران 0009-0005-2237-3005 Journal Article 2025 10 12 This article explores acculturative stress and the broader process of acculturation in Tishani Doshi’s selected novel, The Pleasure Seekers, utilizing John W. Berry’s acculturation framework. It focuses on key concepts: acculturation, assimilation, integration, marginalization, separation, and acculturative stress to examine how migrant characters navigate cultural adaptation and identity negotiation. In The Pleasure Seekers, Doshi traces Sian’s transformative journey from Wales to India, where she encounters cultural dissonance and societal pressures, ultimately crafting a hybridized identity. The article examines the psychological and social aspects of migration, emphasizing the role of cultural flexibility and emotional resilience in shaping identity. It looks at how acculturative stress manifests in Sian’s interactions with Indian traditions and family dynamics, analyzing her transition from alienation to integration. The article argues that as migrants become closer to the host culture, acculturative stress decreases, facilitating faster integration. It also contends that the degree to which migrants engage with the host culture while retaining aspects of their original identity directly affects their stress levels, suggesting that deeper cultural integration leads to smoother identity negotiation and enhanced psychological well-being. This proves that Sian’s reduction in acculturative stress was the direct result of her alignment with multiple dimensions of cultural interaction, namely, adopting the local language, participating in religious rituals, adapting to traditional cuisine, navigating family structures, and fulfilling culturally defined gender roles such as those of wife and mother. These practices not only facilitated her psychological adaptation but also enhanced her sense of belonging within the Indian social fabric. This article explores acculturative stress and the broader process of acculturation in Tishani Doshi’s selected novel, The Pleasure Seekers, utilizing John W. Berry’s acculturation framework. It focuses on key concepts: acculturation, assimilation, integration, marginalization, separation, and acculturative stress to examine how migrant characters navigate cultural adaptation and identity negotiation. In The Pleasure Seekers, Doshi traces Sian’s transformative journey from Wales to India, where she encounters cultural dissonance and societal pressures, ultimately crafting a hybridized identity. The article examines the psychological and social aspects of migration, emphasizing the role of cultural flexibility and emotional resilience in shaping identity. It looks at how acculturative stress manifests in Sian’s interactions with Indian traditions and family dynamics, analyzing her transition from alienation to integration. The article argues that as migrants become closer to the host culture, acculturative stress decreases, facilitating faster integration. It also contends that the degree to which migrants engage with the host culture while retaining aspects of their original identity directly affects their stress levels, suggesting that deeper cultural integration leads to smoother identity negotiation and enhanced psychological well-being. This proves that Sian’s reduction in acculturative stress was the direct result of her alignment with multiple dimensions of cultural interaction, namely, adopting the local language, participating in religious rituals, adapting to traditional cuisine, navigating family structures, and fulfilling culturally defined gender roles such as those of wife and mother. These practices not only facilitated her psychological adaptation but also enhanced her sense of belonging within the Indian social fabric. https://clls.sbu.ac.ir/article_106509_f0a8a6ce9a328bb45de412a628bea527.pdf