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| The World Turned Upside-Down: Khmer-American Status, Identity, and Cultural Conflicts in Institutional Contexts | ||
| 作者 | Niedzwiecki, William R. (著) |
|---|---|
| 出處題名 | Dissertation Abstracts International |
| 卷期 | v.59 n.2 Section A |
| 出版日期 | 1998 |
| 出版者 | ProQuest LLC |
| 出版者網址 | https://www.proquest.com/ |
| 出版地 | Ann Arbor, MI, US [安娜堡, 密西根州, 美國] |
| 資料類型 | 期刊論文=Journal Article |
| 使用語言 | 英文=English |
| 學位類別 | 博士 |
| 校院名稱 | Boston University |
| 系所名稱 | Great School of Arts and Sciences |
| 指導教授 | Hefner, Robert W. |
| 畢業年度 | 1998 |
| 附註項 | 362p |
| 關鍵詞 | Acculturation |
| 摘要 | This dissertation examines Khmer-American economic and psychocultural adjustment to life in the United States. Based on anthropological fieldwork conducted in Lowell and Lynn, Massachusetts, between 1994 and 1997 and a review of available literature, the study sheds light on why Khmer communities continue to be characterized by high rates of poverty and unemployment. The study argues that Khmer employment difficulties are affected by historically and culturally conditioned tensions surrounding identity, status, and institutional character. A case study reveals that similar factors contributed to the difficulties experienced by the staff, clients, and funders of a particular Khmer mutual aid association. Khmer-Americans alternately draw upon traditional Khmer and mainstream American models of status, identity, and institutional character. In doing so, they opportunistically access Cambodian and American models in order to assert personal claims to status and independence. Partially because they wish to distinguish themselves from the culturally radical Khmer Rouge whose brutal government killed approximately two million Khmer between 1975 and 1979, most Khmer adults feel themselves committed to Cambodian cultural models. In practice, however, men and elders tend to use Khmer models more consistently than do women and younger people. In part, this occurs because Khmer models of social identity and status are strongly conditioned by the Cambodian Buddhist concept of karma, which accords men and elders greater status and personal autonomy. For their part, women and younger people tend to be more attracted to American models which emphasize gender and generational equality and accord status on the basis of abstract standards of achievement. Representatives of mainstream American institutions often experience difficulties working with Khmer individuals and institutions that pattern their behavior on Khmer models. Such conflicts contribute to patterns of miscommunication between representatives of mental health and public assistance agencies and their Khmer clients, and also hamper Khmer employment and institutional success. Furthermore, they contribute to the widespread estrangement of Khmer parents from their children and to the rising popularity of youth gangs. |
| 目次 | INTRODUCTION An introduction to the research topic Outline of this dissertation CHAPTER 1: CAMBODIAN HISTORY BEFORE THE KHMER ROUGE Introduction The geography, climate, people, and language of Cambodia Before Angkor: From earliest times to 802 CE The Angkor Period, 802 to 1431 After Angkor and before the French, 1431 to 1863 The French Protectorate, 1863 to 1953 The Postcolonial Period, 1953 to 1975 Conclusion CHAPTER 2: THE KHMER ROUGE YEARS AND THEIR AFTERMATH Introduction The Khmer Rouge years Khmer in Cambodia and along the Thai-Cambodian border after the fall of Democratic Kampuchea CHAPTER 3: THEORY: STATUS, IDENTITY, AND CULTURAL CONFLICT Introduction Variation and consistency between and within cultural groups 77 Identity The importance of coherence between the goals and habits of institutions and those of individuals The patron-client model Conclusion CHAPTER 4: AN INTRODUCTION TO KHMER-AMERICANS IN MASSACHUSETTS Introduction A history of Khmer settlement in the United States Lowell and Lynn, Massachusetts Khmer Buddhism in Lowell and Lynn Poverty among Khmer-Americans in Lowell and Lynn Unemployment rates among Khmer-Americans Education, the English language, and unemployment Under-the-table employment Conclusion CHAPTER 5: KHMER-AMERICAN EMPLOYMENT SUCCESS IN INSTITUTIONS DOMINATED BY MAINSTREAM AM ERICANS Introduction "Tradition" among Khmer-Americans Status relations in Cambodia before the rise of the Khmer Rouge, "traditional" Khmer views of appropriate hierarchy, and the patron-client model Khmer-American employment in institutions dominated by mainstream Americans: case studies Conclusion CHAPTER 6: ORGANIZATIONAL FAILURE AT THE KHMER ASSOCIATION OF MASSACHUSETTS Introduction An introduction to the Khmer Association of Massachusetts (KAM) Part One: The KAM from February to August of 1996 KAM's board of directors Pich Som: The director of KAM Christine Davidson: The program director Vanny Lam: A successful young woman Sovann Kim: A volatile and outrageous young woman Roth Nong: A charming but troubled young man Part Two: KAM from August to October of 1996 KAM's debt: Its scope, genesis, and immediate impact upon staff Two funders threaten to terminate our contracts KAM's consultants: David Klein and Mary O 'Hara David Klein, the board of directors, and the attempt to reform KAM's fiscal management systems Mary O'Hara, the board of directors, and the attempt to reform KAM's management procedures Conclusion CONCLUSION Introduction Major findings and interpretations The future of Khmer in the United States Possible criticisms APPENDIX A: THE CHARACTER AND HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF KHMER BUDDHISM Introduction Buddhism among Khmer Hinduism in Khmer religion "Supernaturalism" in Khmer religion APPENDIX B: RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN KHMER-AMERICAN ADULTS AND TEENAGERS Introduction Shifting power relations between parents and their teenaged children Khmer-American youth gangs, and parental attitudes towards them Conclusion APPENDIX C: POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER AND MAJOR AFFECTIVE DISORDER Introduction Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) Major affective disorder ("depression") |
| ISBN | 9780591766875; 0591766876 |
| 點閱次數 | 159 |
| 建檔日期 | 1999.10.26 |
| 更新日期 | 2022.03.31 |
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