Curtin University Homepage
  • Library
  • Help
    • Admin

    espace - Curtin’s institutional repository

    JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.
    View Item 
    • espace Home
    • espace
    • Curtin Theses
    • View Item
    • espace Home
    • espace
    • Curtin Theses
    • View Item

    Growing up Australian : exploring the ethnic identity negotiation of second generation Vietnamese youth in Perth

    192141_TangS2013.pdf (1.099Mb)
    Access Status
    Open access
    Date
    2012
    Supervisor
    Dr Mark Liddiard
    Dr Fran Crawford
    Type
    Thesis
    Award
    PhD
    
    Metadata
    Show full item record
    School
    School of Occupational Therapy and Social Work
    URI
    http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/317
    Collection
    • Curtin Theses
    Abstract

    This thesis is an exploration of the ethnic identity negotiation of a group of second generation Vietnamese young persons in Perth, and aims to uncover the content of ethnic identity; in other words, “what it means” and “what it looks like” to be Vietnamese or Australian. Adopting an interpretive narrative approach as research methodology, this research focuses on the familial and social experiences of this group of participants in uncovering dimensions of their ethnic identification and ethnic identity formation. Twenty second generation Vietnamese youth were invited to share their stories of growing up in Australia; this included ten male and ten female young persons. Using unstructured narrative interviews, this research explores the socio-cultural dimensions of their life experience as they navigate their transition into adulthood.Findings from this research suggest that the participants identify concomitantly as Vietnamese and Australian, giving strength to the notion that ethnic identity is but one of a multitude of social identities. The participants’ narratives also reveal that country of birth; cultural values and practices; ethnic socialization; and language spoken are dimensions salient to their ethnic identity formation process. In exploring their familial experiences, it was revealed that a disparity in values existed between the participants and their parents. This disparity often resulted in parent-child conflict during the participants’ adolescent years, in turn affecting their ethnic identity negotiation.Whilst it is acknowledged that the participants’ stories are not representative of all second generation Vietnamese youth in Perth, I argue that the Vietnamese in Perth are on an upward trajectory and have successfully integrated into the Australian mainstream culture. More importantly, their stories demonstrate that these young persons are skilful navigators as they negotiate between the two cultures. That is, rather than being caught “between” two cultures, these young persons are active members of both.

    Related items

    Showing items related by title, author, creator and subject.

    • An ethnographic study of recreational drug use and identity management among a network of electronic dance music enthusiasts in Perth, Western Australia
      Green, Rachael Renee (2012)
      This thesis explores the social contexts and cultural significance of amphetamine-type stimulant (ATS) and alcohol use among a social network of young adults in Perth, Western Australia. The study is positioned by the ...
    • Multicultural Australia – a critical examination of Australia’s COVID-19 communication strategy
      Wolf, Katharina (2021)
      Over the past decade(s), multiculturalism has become a defining – and often (outwardly) celebrated - characteristic of many countries around the world. The term ‘multiculturalism’ has a variety of meanings, however, within ...
    • Exploring the micro-politics of normalised drug use in the social lives of a group of young 'party drug' users in Melbourne, Australia
      Pennay, Amy (2012)
      Young people today live in what some scholars and commentators have defined as a 'post-modern' era, characterised by globalisation, the internet, mass media, production and consumption. Post-modernity has seen a change ...
    Advanced search

    Browse

    Communities & CollectionsIssue DateAuthorTitleSubjectDocument TypeThis CollectionIssue DateAuthorTitleSubjectDocument Type

    My Account

    Admin

    Statistics

    Most Popular ItemsStatistics by CountryMost Popular Authors

    Follow Curtin

    • 
    • 
    • 
    • 
    • 

    CRICOS Provider Code: 00301JABN: 99 143 842 569TEQSA: PRV12158

    Copyright | Disclaimer | Privacy statement | Accessibility

    Curtin would like to pay respect to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander members of our community by acknowledging the traditional owners of the land on which the Perth campus is located, the Whadjuk people of the Nyungar Nation; and on our Kalgoorlie campus, the Wongutha people of the North-Eastern Goldfields.