Beyond direct contact: reconceptualising ‘acculturation’ in postcolonial Tunisia

This article introduces ‘postcolonial acculturation’, a novel framework challenging the traditional focus on direct intercultural contact in acculturation studies. Existing scholarship overlooks the enduring impact of colonial legacies on cultural identity formation in postcolonial societies. We argue that acculturation continues through the persistent influence of colonial cultural hegemony, even in the absence of direct control. ‘Postcolonial acculturation’ captures the complex processes by which former colonies navigate these legacies, recognising that colonial domination extended beyond physical control to shape psychological and epistemological landscapes. Through a case study of Habib Bourguiba’s nation-building policies in Tunisia, specifically in education and religion, we demonstrate how postcolonial acculturation provides a valuable lens for understanding cultural transformation in the postcolonial context. This article contributes to postcolonial theory by extending acculturation research beyond immediate interactions and arguing that postcolonial identities are formed within the enduring shadow of colonial paradigms. It also offers a new way of understanding cultural dynamics in postcolonial societies.