Asian American Cultural Insights: Presentation and Community Impact

A Brief History of the Cultural Group (Asian-American)

• The largest wave of immigration in the 18th century.
• Immigration was met with prohibition laws.
• Some arrived as unskilled workers, others – as refugees.
• Later groups of immigrants were highly educated.
• The creation of a “model minority” stereotype.
• The fastest-growing minority group in the US (Ling & Austin, 2015).

A Brief History of the Socio-Cultural Group (Japanese-American)

• Immigration to Hawaii started in the mid-19th century.
• Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 affected the rates of immigrants.
• The ban on immigration created two separate groups of Japanese Americans.
• Race-based naturalization restricted rights until 1952.
• Actively participated in World War II.
• Suffered from internment during this time (Tsuda, 2016).

Values of the Cultural Group

• Collectivism is an inherent characteristic.
• Individualism is an obtained trait.
• Conformity to norms is expressed in traditions.
• Reserved individuals prefer not to express emotions openly.
• Academic and work achievements as aspects of family recognition.
• Children of immigrants often do not preserve cultural heritage (Ling & Austin, 2015).

Values of the Socio-Cultural Group

• Similar to the values of the cultural group.
• Distance in traditions between immigrants and descendants.
• Societal norms are highly valued.
• Respect for elders and generational structure.
• Culture and education are highly valued.
• Aspects of community sharing in most traditions (Lee, 2015).

The worldview of the Culture

• Orientation on the past and present.
• People are inherently good.
• Harmonious relationship with the past and present.
• The balance between individualism and collectivism.
• Rash actions are discouraged.
• Direct and open answers are often avoided (Tsuda, 2016).

Language and Communication Patterns of the Cultural Group

• More respect for authority and old age.
• I am keeping societal structures in dialogue.
• She is actively involved in social media communication.
• Possible strained family communication.
• Do not engage in the verbal voicing of concerns.
• Developed non-verbal communication (Ling & Austin, 2015)

Language and Communication Patterns of Socio-Cultural Group (Specific)

• Later generations study the traditions.
• More open than previous generations.
• Reserved expression of emotions.
• More emphasis on the social context.
• The use of social media and the Internet is high.
• Guilt and self-debasement as common language patterns (Tsuda, 2016).

Art and Other Expressive Forms of the Cultural Group

• High involvement in the entertainment industry.
• Film and television roles with recognizable characters.
• Internet as a foundation for cultural representation.
• Comedy and film production include group struggles.
• She represented in architecture and art as well.
• Many significant musicians play classical music (Ling & Austin, 2015)

Art and Other Expressive Forms of the Socio-Cultural Group

• Literary achievements include prose and poetry.
• Literary criticism is highly developed.
• Prominent figures in American architecture.
• Establishment of California Impressionism.
• Presence in classical music, especially playing the violin.
• Characters in movies and series (Ling & Austin, 2015).

Norms and Rules

• Emphasis on the family values.
• Family continuity is expected from children.
• Respect for discipline, authority, and law.
• Discouragement of confrontation and the lack of open hostility.
• Expectance of appropriate manners.
• Openness in relationships is seen as nonconforming (Lee, 2015).

Lifestyle Characteristics

• Less accustomed to group living.
• However, group pressure is still present.
• Specific religion is not as important as traditions.
• Family ties remain important to most individuals.
• Living with the family is not seen as being dependent.
• A mix of traditions and cultural influences (Tsuda, 2016).

Relationship Patterns

• Close relations with family members.
• The nuclear family is a standard.
• Preservation of social structure for older generations.
• Open, intimate interactions as counter-culture.
• More Americanized interactions of younger generations.
• Filial piety is a distinguishable characteristic (Lee, 2015).

Common Rituals

• Celebrations are not as religious as before.
• Festivals focus on group activities.
• Secular social interactions are more valued.
• New Year celebrations may involve traditional rituals.
• Marriage and funeral influenced by Buddhist views.
• Private rituals not as important among youth (Lee, 2015).

Degree of Assimilation from Mainstream Society

• They assimilated in most spheres of life.
• High presence in culture and science.
• Lack of representation in mass media.
• Wrongful grouping of different ethnicities.
• A wide range of income levels.
• High level of people with secondary education (Ling & Austin, 2015).

Degree of Marginalization from Mainstream Society

• Self-identification through the Internet.
• The difference in traditions from peers.
• Modern immigration brings new traditions.
• The historical discrepancy between generations.
• Lack of self-identification in most settings.
• Issue of racism is present (Ling & Austin, 2015).

Health Behaviors and Practices

• Lack of self-care.
• Stigmatization of mental illness.
• Reluctance to seek psychological support.
• Low rate of cancer screenings (Gomez et al., 2014).
• Smoking is a common practice among youth.
• High prevalence of diabetes among elders (Tanabe, 2017).

Differential Approaches Needed by Health Care Professionals

• I was explaining the need for self-care.
• I am outlining the importance of mental health.
• We are offering screenings to detect issues early.
• We are dealing with stigmatization.
• We are promoting well-being among youth.
• I am focusing on elder care.

References

Gomez, S. L., Glaser, S. L., Horn-Ross, P. L., Cheng, I., Quach, T., Clarke, C. A.,… Satariano, W. A. (2014). Cancer research in Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander populations: Accelerating cancer knowledge by acknowledging and leveraging heterogeneity. CEBP Focus, 23(11), 2202-2205.

Lee, S. J. (2015). Unraveling the” model minority” stereotype: Listening to Asian American youth (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Teachers College Press.

Ling, H., & Austin, A. W. (Eds.). (2015). Asian American history and culture: An encyclopedia. New York, NY: Routledge.

Tanabe, M. K.G. (2017). Health and health care of Japanese-American elders. Web.

Tsuda, T. (2016). Japanese American ethnicity: In search of heritage and homeland across generations. New York, NY: NYU Press.