Acculturation Process in Tishani Doshi’s The Pleasure Seekers: From Identity Crisis to Integration into the Host Culture

Document Type : Original Research Article

Authors

1 Associate Professor of English Language and Literature, Department of English Language, Faculty of Humanities. Khatam University, Tehran, Iran.

2 MA Student of English Language and Literature, , Department of English Language, Faculty of Humanities. Khatam University, Tehran, Iran.

Abstract

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.

Keywords

References

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Critical Language and Literary Studies
Volume 23, Issue 36 - Serial Number 13
English
April 2026
Pages 55-64

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