| Negotiation practices among second generation (and 1.5) Chinese Americans provide insights into acculturation processes in American society. This study analyzed narrative data from 10 Chinese Americans, 5 males and 5 females interviewed using semi-structured questions. Participants were born in the U.S., or immigrated at a young age, and identified through snowball sampling techniques. Interviews lasted for approximately one hour, were audiotaped, and then transcribed. Grounded analysis was used to identify the following themes: 1) Identity Stressors; 2) General Cultural Values; and 3) Gender Norms and the Burden of Culture. Results further advance that the language of Assimilation needs reassessment. Also new tensions arose between second generation identity and first generations' expectations of second generations. The key feature of this study was the behavior of negotiation, which participants constantly use to identify themselves within their families, communities, as well as the mainstream American society surrounding them. While the majority of female participants were aware of their active usage of negotiation, male participants were less cognizant of this behavior. |
