The Intergenerational Conflict in Lisa See’s Shanghai Girls: Second Generation Experiences
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15642/NOBEL.2022.13.1.50-66Keywords:
intergenerational conflict; acculturation strategies; sociological approachAbstract
This study explores the intergeneration conflict and acculturation strategies of the second-generation Chinese American in Lisa See’s Shanghai Girls. The novel depicts Pearl and May’s experiences moving to America due to the Sino-Japanese war in China and facing the cultural conflict of choosing the Chinese or American culture. Therefore, the study uses the sociological approach by employing Hofstede’s cultural dimension and Sam and Berry’s acculturation model to examine the sociocultural experiences of Pearl and May. The result is that the conflict between the first and second generations is based on power distance, masculinity and femininity; individualism and collectivism; and the short and long term. As the result of the conflict, Pearl integrates two cultures on the dimension of power distance and short and long term, while May assimilates more into American culture. Those different strategies also imply the different reception experienced by Pearl and May while socializing within both the Chinese and American cultures.
Downloads
References
Artina, B. S., Desnasari, D., Fitriyah, F., & Rizkita, R. G. (2020). The workforce in Indonesian organizations: An analysis based upon the cultural dimensions of Hofstede’s model. Journal of International Conference Proceedings (JICP), 3(1), 56–64. https://doi.org/10.32535/JICP.V2I4.780
Basuki, I. (2017). Southern honor: An analysis using American studies. ELLITE: Journal of English Language, Literature, and Teaching, 2(1), 15–23. https://doi.org/10.32528/ELLITE.V2I1.691
Berry, J. W., & Sabatier, C. (2010). The acculturation and adaptation of second-generation immigrant youth in Toronto and Montreal. In S. S. Chuang & R. P. Moreno (Eds.), Immigrant children: Change, adaptation, and cultural transformation (pp. 125–148). Lexington Books.
Budiman, A., & Ruiz, N. G. (2021). Key facts about Asian Americans, a diverse and growing population. https://policycommons.net/artifacts/1526590/key-facts-about-asian-americans-a-diverse-and-growing-population/2214830/
Chan, C. L. W., Yip, P. S. F., Ng, E. H. Y., Ho, P. C., Chan, C. H. Y., & Au, J. S. K. (2002). Gender selection in China: Its meanings and implications. Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics, 19(9), 426–430. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1016815807703
Chen, H.-S. (1992). Chinatown no more: Taiwan immigrants in contemporary New York. Cornell University Press.
Chung, S., Zhou, Q., Kho, C., & Main, A. (2021). Parent–child conflict profiles in Chinese American immigrant families: Links to sociocultural factors and school-age children’s psychological adjustment. Family Process, 60(1), 169–185. https://doi.org/10.1111/FAMP.12546
Dubey, A. (2013). Literature and society. IOSR Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 9(6), 84–85. https://doi.org/10.9790/0837-0968485
Fedi, A., Mannarini, T., Brodsky, A., Rochira, A., Buckingham, S., Emery, L., Godsay, S., Scheibler, J., Miglietta, A., & Gattino, S. (2018). Acculturation in the discourse of immigrants and receiving community members: Results from a cross-national qualitative study. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 1(2018), 1–15. https://doi.org/http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/ort0000325
Gao, Y., & Liu, W. (2018). The Differences of Chinese-American sports culture from the perspective of culture value dimensions. 8th International Conference on Social Network, Communication and Education (SNCE 2018), 360–363. https://doi.org/10.2991/SNCE-18.2018.72
Hennink, M., Hutter, I., & Bailey, A. (2020). Qualitative research methods. SAGE Publications Ltd.
Hofstede, G. (2011). Dimensionalizing cultures: The Hofstede model in context. Online Readings in Psychology and Culture, 2(1), 1–26. http://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/orpc/vol2/iss1/8http://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/orpc/vol2/iss1/8
Ifeoma, N. F. (2017). Literature as the mirror of the society: The case of child abuse in Nigeria. Journal of Technical Education Research and Development, 5(2), 106–112.
Irawan, D. A. (2017). Expatriates perceptions toward Hofstede’s Indonesia cultural dimensions. The Winners, 18(2), 83–92. https://doi.org/10.21512/TW.V18I2.3734
Irmadani, A. N., Supiastutik, S., & Astutiningsih, I. (2019). The representation of woman’s oppression in Lisa See’s Snow flower and the secret fan. SEMIOTIKA: Jurnal Ilmu Sastra Dan Linguistik, 20(1), 14–25. https://doi.org/10.19184/SEMIOTIKA.V20I1.12832
Jaw, B. S., Ling, Y. H., Wang, C. Y. P., & Chang, W. C. (2007). The impact of culture on Chinese employees’ work values. Personnel Review, 36(1), 128–144. https://doi.org/10.1108/00483480710716759/FULL/XML
Jorae, W. R. (2010). The limits of dress: Chinese American childhood, fashion, and race in the exclusion era. Western Historical Quarterly, 41(4), 451–471. https://doi.org/10.2307/WESTHISTQUAR.41.4.451
Kalibatseva, Z., Leong, F. T. L., Ham, E. H., Lannert, B. K., & Chen, Y. (2017). Loss of face, intergenerational family conflict, and depression among Asian American and European American college students. Asian American Journal of Psychology, 8(2), 126–133. https://doi.org/10.1037/AAP0000067
Keister, L. A., Agius Vallejo, J., & Aronson, B. (2016). Chinese Immigrant Wealth: Heterogeneity in Adaptation. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0168043
Lee, E.-K. O., & Chan, K. (2009). Religious/spiritual and other adaptive coping strategies among Chinese American older immigrants. Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 52(5), 517–533. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1080/01634370902983203
Li, Z., & Qiu, Z. (2018). How does family background affect children’s educational achievement? Evidence from contemporary China. The Journal of Chinese Sociology, 5(13), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1186/S40711-018-0083-8/TABLES/8
Manrai, L. A., & Manrai, A. K. (2011). Hofstede’s cultural dimensions and tourist behaviors: A review and conceptual framework. Journal of Economics, Finance and Administrative Science, 16(31), 23–47. https://ideas.repec.org/a/ris/joefas/0033.html
Mesoudi, A. (2018). Migration, acculturation, and the maintenance of between-group cultural variation. PLoS ONE, 13(10), 1–23. https://doi.org/10.1371/JOURNAL.PONE.0205573
Misiuna, J. (2018). The impact of the Chinese diaspora in the U.S. on the American view of China. International Studies. Interdisciplinary Political and Cultural Journal, 22(1), 153–168. https://doi.org/10.18778/1641-4233.22.10
Novianti, M. N. R. (2015). The cultural encounter between American and Chinese culture: Chinese American experiences in Lisa See’s Shanghai girls [Universitas Gadjah Mada]. http://etd.repository.ugm.ac.id/penelitian/detail/92520
Pfister, J. (2011). The critical work of American literature. In C. F. Levander & R. S. Levine (Eds.), A Companion to American Literary Studies (pp. 29–45). Wiley-Blackwell. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781444343809.CH2
Rakhmyta, Y. A. (2018). Femininity aspect as reflected in Lisa See’e Snow flower ad the secret fan. Jurnal As-Salam, 2(3), 134–141. https://doi.org/10.37249/AS-SALAM.V2I3.109
Reisyer, C. E., & Eviyanto, W. (2020). Indoctrination toward Chinese woman in 19th century reflected in the novel the Snow flower and the secret fan by Lisa See: Feminist approach. SCIENTIA JOURNAL : Jurnal Ilmiah Mahasiswa, 2(2), 1–13. https://ejournal.upbatam.ac.id/index.php/scientia_journal/article/view/2239/1299
Renzaho, A. M. N., Green, J., Mellor, D., & Swinburn, B. (2011). Parenting, family functioning and lifestyle in a new culture: the case of African migrants in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Child & Family Social Work, 16(2), 228–240. https://doi.org/10.1111/J.1365-2206.2010.00736.X
Rouse, W. L. (2019). Between two worlds: Chinese immigrant children and the production of knowledge in the era of Chinese exclusion. Know: A Journal on the Formation of Knowledge, 3(2), 263–282. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1086/704718
Sam, D. L., & Berry, J. W. (2010). Acculturation: When individuals and groups of different cultural backgrounds meet. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 5(4), 472–481. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691610373075
Schwartz, S. J., Unger, J. B., Zamboanga, B. L., & Szapocznik, J. (2010). Rethinking the concept of acculturation: Implications for theory and research. American Psychologist, 65(4), 237–251. https://doi.org/10.1037/A0019330
See, L. (2009). Shanghai Girls. Random House.
Shih, K. Y., Chang, T. F., & Chen, S. Y. (2019). Impacts of the model minority myth on Asian American individuals and families: Social justice and critical race feminist perspectives. Journal of Family Theory & Review, 11(3), 412–428. https://doi.org/10.1111/JFTR.12342
Stork, E., & Hartley, N. T. (2014). Gender and cross-cultural perceptions of professors behaviors: A comparison of Chinese and American college students. Contemporary Issues in Education Research (CIER), 7(2), 95–106. https://doi.org/10.19030/CIER.V7I2.8478
Terangpi, S. (2020). Reading the wound: Trauma in Lisa See’s Shanghai girls. Addaiyan Journal of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, 2(2), 25–28. https://doi.org/10.36099/AJAHSS.2.2.4
Thow, K. (2020). East Asian parenting on children raised in North America: Predictions and discussions for future parenting styles. Queen’s Science Undergraduate Research Journal, 4(2020), 25–29. https://ojs.library.queensu.ca/index.php/qsurj/article/view/13961
Volkema, R., Kapoutsis, I., Bon, A., & Almeida, J. R. (2016). The Influence of Power and Individualism-Collectivism on Negotiation Initiation. Revista de Administração Contemporânea, 20(6), 673–692. https://doi.org/10.1590/1982-7849RAC2016150072
Wali, N., & Renzaho, A. M. N. (2018). “Our riches are our family”, the changing family dynamics & social capital for new migrant families in Australia. PLoS ONE, 13(12), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1371/JOURNAL.PONE.0209421
Winaja, I. W., Prabawa, I. W. S. W., & Pertiwi, P. R. (2019). Acculturation and its effects on the religious and ethnic values of Bali’s Catur village community. Journal of Social Studies Education Research, 10(3), 249–275. www.jsser.org
Xu, L., Chi, I., & Wu, S. (2018). Grandparent-grandchild relationships in Chinese immigrant families in Los Angeles: Roles of acculturation and the middle generation. Gerontology & Geriatric Medicine, 4(2018), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1177/2333721418778196
Yang, L., & Congzhou, Y. (2018). Analysis of Sino-American family education differences: Collectivistic or individualistic? - Taking the glass castle as an example. International Education Studies, 11(8), 51–57. https://doi.org/10.5539/ies.v11n8p51
Ye, D., Pan, S., Lian, Y., & Ng, Y. K. (2021). Culture and saving: Why do Asians save more? Singapore Economic Review, 66(3), 621–651. https://doi.org/10.1142/S0217590819500607
Yoo, J., Miyamoto, Y., Evers, U., Lee, J., & Wong, N. (2021). Does materialism hinder relational well-being? The role of culture and social motives. Journal of Happiness Studies, 22(1), 241–261. https://doi.org/10.1007/S10902-020-00227-7/TABLES/6
Zuo, J. (2009). Rethinking family patriarchy and women’s positions in presocialist China. Journal of Marriage and Family, 71(3), 542–557. https://doi.org/10.1111/J.1741-3737.2009.00618.X
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2022 NOBEL: Journal of Literature and Language Teaching
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.