Abstract

The number of people identifying with more than one culture is increasing and so too is the need to have the theoretical and methodological tools to investigate bicultural identity. We provide a review of the major theories in social psychology that address bicultural identity and evaluate them from a social identity perspective. Models of biculturalism such as acculturation, alternating and fused/blended identities, frame switching, and bicultural identity integration are discussed, highlighting the theories’ respective conceptualizations of identity. We touch on the strengths and limitations of the theories and highlight opportunities to align insights from the social identity literature into the study of bicultural identity. Finally, we conclude by providing an integration of the models from social identity approach as well as reflections and commentary for future research