Changing Lives and Identities

The Vietnamese Community in the United States and Germany
1. Auflage 2016
ISBN: 978-3-8288-3756-0
Verlag: Tectum

Buch, Englisch, Band 5, 265 Seiten, broschiert, Format (B × H): 148 mm x 210 mm, Gewicht: 410 g

Reihe: Wissenschaftliche Beiträge aus dem Tectum Verlag: Anglistik

The Fall of Saigon in 1975 marked the beginning of a rapid period of growth for the Vietnamese diaspora. Over the subsequent decades, Vietnamese refugees spread across five continents, influencing and being influenced by the countries in which they arrived. Chau Giang Bui examines Vietnamese immigration to the United States and Germany, two major industrialized nations. Herein, she undertakes three main objectives: to provide an account of the formation, development and important characteristics of the Vietnamese community in the United States and Germany; to study and analyze their socioeconomic and -cultural adaptation process since 1975; and to compare and contrast the Vietnamese community in both countries. Through original survey research and analysis of various literature sources, Chau Giang Bui provides new insights into the Vietnamese-American and Vietnamese-German experiences.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Bui, Chau Giang

Fachgebiete

• Sozialwissenschaften Soziologie | Soziale Arbeit Soziale Gruppen/Soziale Themen Soziale Mobilität
• Sozialwissenschaften Ethnologie | Volkskunde Volkskunde Minderheiten, Interkulturelle & Multikulturelle Fragen
• Sozialwissenschaften Ethnologie | Volkskunde Ethnologie Kultur- und Sozialethnologie: Allgemeines
• Sozialwissenschaften Soziologie | Soziale Arbeit Spezielle Soziologie Soziologie von Migranten und Minderheiten

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Contents
List of figures vi
List of tables vii
List of images vii
Chapter 1: Introduction 1
1. General background of the thesis 1
2. Current research situation 4
3. Methodology 8
4. Goals and structure of the thesis 9
Chapter 2: Vietnamese immigration to the United States and Germany 12
Section 1: Vietnamese immigration to the United States 12
1. Historical background 12
2. Different Vietnamese immigration waves 15
2.1. The first large wave and subsequent small waves from 1975 to 1977 17
2.1.1. The first large wave of refugees in 1975 17
2.1.2. Smaller waves of refugees in 1976 and 19
2.2. The second large wave from 1978 to the mid-1980s 19
2.3. Subsequent waves of Vietnamese refugees 22
2.3.1. The third large wave: the Orderly Departure Program 22
2.3.2. The Comprehensive Plan of Action 25
2.4. The present state of Vietnamese immigration to the United States 26
3. Arriving in America: from refugees to immigrants 28
3.1. 'Refugees/ and 'immigrants/: what are the distinctions? 28
3.2. Characteristics of Vietnamese refugees 30
3.3. From life in refugee camps to resettlement 31
3.3.1. Life in the camps: preparation for resettlement 31
3.3.2. Sponsorship and resettlement 33
Section 2: Vietnamese immigration to Germany 36
1. The students 36
2. The boat people 37
2.1. Historical background 37
2.2. Sponsorship and resettlement 38
3. The contract workers 42
3.1. Historical background 42
3.2. The situation of the contract workers before the Wende 44
3.2.1. The living conditions of the contract workers in the 44
3.2.2. Working in the GDR 45
3.2.3. Vietnamese contract workers as part of GDR daily life 46
3.3. Experiences of the contract workers during the Wende 48
3.4. The situation of the contract workers after the Wende 50
3.4.1. Residency status of the contract workers 50
3.4.2. How the contract workers survived in Germany 52
3.4.3. The Bleiberecht - a turning point 53
3.4.4. A general remark on Vietnamese contract workers/ lives after German reunification 55
4. The present state of Vietnamese immigration to Germany 56
Section 3: Differences in the historical development of Vietnamese immigration to the United States and Germany 59
Chapter 3: Changing lives and identities of the Vietnamese community in the United States 61
Section 1: Language acquisition: the first step toward integration into American society 61
Section 2: Changing lives of the Vietnamese in America 69
1. Financial challenges, solutions and achievements 70
1.1. Occupational downward mobility and the change of gender roles 70
1.2. Financial support from the Vietnamese community and patchworking 74
1.3. Reactions of the Americans and their attitudes toward the Vietnamese 77
1.4. Economic achievements of the Vietnamese community 79
1.5. Behavioral shifts in relations between men and women 81
2. Traditional value of education and academic success: the way to reach upward mobility 84
2.1. Educational achievements despite initial challenges 84
2.2. The reasons for academic success 89
Section 3: Changing identities and the acculturation of the Vietnamese in America 92
1. Acculturation: concept and strategies 93
2. Different generations, diverse forms of acculturation 96
2.1. Cultural clash and acculturative challenges 97
2.2. Challenges and generational conflicts faced by families 101
2.3. Being 'Americanized/: the negative way of becoming an American? 104
2.4. Acculturation, maladaptation and delinquency 108
2.4.1. Tendency toward assimilation among Vietnamese youth 108
2.4.2. Maladaptation and delinquency 112
2.5. Other social aspects during the acculturation process 120
2.5.1. Circle of friends of Vietnamese adolescents 121
2.5.2. Endogamy or intermarriage? 123
2.5.3. Cultural maintenance in the community 126
2.6. Troubles in the adjustment of older Vietnamese in the United States 130
3. Vietnamese Amerasians and their difficult periods of adjustment 132
4. Ethnic identity among the Vietnamese in the United States 136
4.1. Identity: definition and stages of development 136
4.2. Ethnic identity among the Vietnamese in the US 138
Section 4: A small survey carried out in 2013 145
1. Interest in the Vietnamese language and culture 145
2. Interest in the American language and culture 151
3. Opinion on intermarriage 152
4. Future plans and identity 153
5. General evaluation 154
Section 5: Representations of Vietnamese immigration to the United States in literature 155
1. About the authors: Andrew Lam and Tran Dieu Hang 157
2. Vietnamese immigration experience in Tran Dieu Hang/s short stories 158
2.1. "Invisible Woman" 159
2.2. "Darkness, Strange Land" 167
2.3. Summary of analysis 170
3. Vietnamese immigration experience in Andrew Lam/s essays 170
3.1. Experiences of the younger generation during the Vietnamese diaspora 171
3.1.1. Challenges to overcome at school 171
3.1.2. Familial conflicts 173
3.1.3. Self-esteem and emotional expression among Vietnamese-Americans 177
3.1.4. Feelings of being an exile 179
3.2. Experiences of the older generation during the Vietnamese diaspora 180
3.3. Summary of analysis 182
4. Conclusion 182
Chapter 4: The Vietnamese community in Germany 185
Section 1: Vietnamese of the first generation 191
1. Immigration to Germany 192
1.1. The former students 192
1.2. The boat people 194
1.3. The contract workers 196
1.4. Immigrants from Eastern Europe 198
1.5. Family reunion 200
1.6. Other immigrants 201
2. Interest in the Vietnamese language and culture 201
2.1. Language: the key to the preservation of immigrants/ culture 201
2.2. Tastes and interests among first-generation Vietnamese immigrants 203
2.3. Contact among Vietnamese immigrants and community/s activities 207
2.4. University: still a must? 209
3. Interest in the German language and culture 212
3.1. Language: the key to integration 212
3.2. Tastes and interests among first-generation Vietnamese immigrants 215
3.3. Interest in German cultural activities 218
3.4. Contact with Germans 219
3.5. Cultural clashes and how Vietnamese immigrants feel perceived by German people 220
3.6. Opinion on intermarriage 221
4. Future plans and identity 222
5. General evaluation 224
Section 2: Vietnamese of the second generation 228
1. Interest in the Vietnamese language and culture 229
2. Interest in the German language and culture 232
3. Opinion on intermarriage 234
4. Future plans and identity 234
5. General evaluation 236
Chapter 5: Vietnamese Community in the United States and Germany: a comparison 238
1. Language acquisition 238
2. Changing lives and identities of Vietnamese in America and Germany 239
Chapter 6: Conclusion 244
1. General evaluation 244
2. Future prospects 247
Bibliography 250
Appendix 263