Learning Objective #1: Discuss the impact of globalization on cultural safety from the perspective of an immigrant community of Muslims

Learning Objective #2: Examine the concepts of cultural safety, cultural risk, and their implications for cultural competence

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Cultural safety, a construct developed by Maori nurses in New Zealand, is used to address the negative health and health service effects of inequities experienced by minority groups. It is applied primarily to minorities in long standing, disadvantageous positions within the social structure of a given society. The presentation will use findings of a qualitative study to examine cultural safety within a globalized context. The purpose of this study was to describe the impact of 9/11 on the social health of Muslims in New Brunswick, Canada, a small primarily rural province with limited ethno-racial and religious diversity. The methodology was based on the constructivist research paradigm in which the aim is to generate a better understanding of a phenomenon under investigation. An advisory panel of eight Muslims living in the province assisted in the study design, recruitment of respondents and validation of the emerging analysis. Theoretical sampling was used to select 33 respondents. Data were collected through in-depth interviews and a socio-demographic questionnaire. Data analysis of the interviews involved unitizing, categorizing, and pattern seeking. Although respondents were immigrants, most were socially and economically well integrated in the area. The events of 9/11, however, had a significant, negative impact on their social health. They were transformed from being essentially invisible to the local mainstream community to a visible and discredited minority group with a social identity at risk of being stigmatized. This occurred within a matter of days, was the result of an event in another country, and was influenced by an international media rather than by inter-societal relationships. An integral component of cultural competence is cultural knowledge, the process in which nurses seek and obtain information on the socio-cultural dimensions that influence care and health. The implications of this particular case of cultural risk for cultural knowledge will be discussed.