Ethnic chameleons and the contexts of identity: A comparative look at the dynamics of intra-national ethnic identity construction for 1.5 and second generation Chinese-Vietnamese and Vietnamese Americans.

摘要

This study utilizes the intra-national ethnicity perspective, or examining different ancestral-origin ethnic groups found within a national origin, to examine the 1.5 and second generation Chinese-Vietnamese and Vietnamese American experiences. This perspective is noticeably missing from existing literature on the second generation. As such, this study aims to fill this void.;Data for this study was drawn from three data sources: quantitatively, from (1) the five-percent Integrated Public Use Microdata Sample (5% IPUMS) and (2) merged data from the Immigration and Intergenerational Mobility in Metropolitan Los Angeles study and the Children of Immigrants Longitudinal Study (IIMMLA-CILS); and qualitatively, (3) from fifty in-depth and semi-structured interviews. The datasets address the demographic characteristics and preliminary directions of political, linguistic, and educational adaptation for both sub-ethnic groups. Whereas the interview data address the contextual factors that contribute (or not) to the institutionalization of these social constructed identities. Specifically, what are the factors that contribute to assimilation or dissimilation? And, how do these two sub-ethnic groups differ in their adaptation progress?;On the descriptive-level, the two groups share demographic similarities and dissimilarities. As a collective, the Chinese-Vietnamese entered the U.S. earlier than the Vietnamese. They differ on their political voting patterns, religious preferences, rates of naturalization, and region of settlement. On the flip side, the main similarity they both share is linguistic assimilation pattern.;In terms of context influences, this study finds that context matters for the ways that individuals choose to institutionalize their ethnic identity. Specifically, location (Orange vs. LA County), cultural resources (language and ethnic celebrations), and educational setting (participation in Asian American Studies or ethnic organizations) all play critical roles contributing to the social construction of an ethnic identity.;Taking the intra-national perspective revealed differences between these two sub-groups that would have otherwise been lost under the umbrella ethnicity of Vietnamese or Chinese. While it appears that individuals from both sub-ethnic groups are engaging in preliminary stages of assimilation, their paths are still littered with detours influenced by their cultural and structural contexts.