The Intersection of Filial Piety and Cultural Dissonance: Intergenerational Exchanges Among Khmer Families in the United States
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University of Kentucky UKnowledge University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School 2005 THE INTERSECTION OF FILIAL PIETY AND CULTURAL DISSONANCE: INTERGENERATIONAL EXCHANGES AMONG KHMER FAMILIES IN THE UNITED STATES Denise Clark Lewis University of Kentucky Right click to open a feedback form in a new tab to let us know how this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation Lewis, Denise Clark, "THE INTERSECTION OF FILIAL PIETY AND CULTURAL DISSONANCE: INTERGENERATIONAL EXCHANGES AMONG KHMER FAMILIES IN THE UNITED STATES" (2005). University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations. 372. https://uknowledge.uky.edu/gradschool_diss/372 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at UKnowledge. It has been accepted for inclusion in University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized administrator of UKnowledge. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ABSTRACT OF DISSERTATION Denise Clark Lewis The Graduate School University of Kentucky 2005 iv THE INTERSECTION OF FILIAL PIETY AND CULTURAL DISSONANCE: INTERGENERATIONAL EXCHANGES AMONG KHMER FAMILIES IN THE UNITED STATES ABSTRACT OF DISSERTATION A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the College of Public Health at the University of Kentucky By Denise Clark Lewis Lexington, Kentucky Co-Directors: Dr. B. Jan McCulloch, Professor of Family Social Science, St Paul, Minnesota and Dr. Laurie Russell Hatch, Professor of Sociology, Lexington, Kentucky Copyright © Denise Clark Lewis 2005 iv ABSTRACT OF DISSERTATION THE INTERSECTION OF FILIAL PIETY AND CULTURAL DISSONANCE: INTERGENERATIONAL EXCHANGES AMONG KHMER FAMILIES IN THE UNITED STATES This study investigates intergenerational exchanges among one Cambodian refugee population residing along the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. The experiences of refugees, who faced massive cultural dissonance and social change, require exploration and analysis in order to understand how intergenerational exchanges change, and what influence such modified exchanges have on family relationships. Cultural dissonance occurs when ideals of one culture grate upon the ideals of the other. An example of cultural dissonance can be found across generations of Khmers living in this particular community. Elder Khmers, who spent significant time in Cambodia, tend to follow notions of collectivity, ancestor veneration, and filial piety. Younger Khmers, who have spent most of their lives in the United States, tend to embrace an American ideology of individuality, autonomy, and youthfulness. Reconciling such cultural dissonance within families led to multiple changes in behaviors and in modification of beliefs surrounding family relations and intergenerational exchanges. Family exchange theory provides an important tool for researchers interested in addressing intergenerational exchanges and cultural dissonance. With family exchange theory, this dissertation examines ways in which changed life circumstances and cultural transitions shape attitudes, preferences, and behavioral patterns associated with intergenerational exchanges among immigrant and refugee populations. In particular, using family exchange theory, this research begins to answer questions such as how adhesion or retention of cultural ideologies shapes intergenerational exchanges; how families lives within the boundaries of a recreated Khmer village differ from families who live in a more mainstream American community; and, how meanings of appropriate intergenerational exchanges shift in conjunction with changing socio-cultural circumstances. Individuals and collectives engage in exchanges without a necessary expectation that they will receive repayment for that exchange within their own lifetimes. There is, however, the expectation that the collective will benefit. Individual and collective histories inform and are informed by meanings within exchanges. Meanings are not static within family exchange but change with individual and collective consciousness to create and reinforce bonds and provide moral guidance. This dissertation adds to our knowledge of families, immigrants, and theory for understanding intergenerational exchanges. Keywords: Family Exchange Theory, Cultural Dissonance, Intergenerational Exchange, Family Denise Clark Lewis May 6, 2005 v THE INTERSECTION OF FILIAL PIETY AND CULTURAL DISSONANCE: INTERGENERATIONAL EXCHANGES AMONG KHMER FAMILIES IN THE UNITED STATES By Denise Clark Lewis B. Jan McCulloch, Ph.D. Co-Director of Dissertation Laurie Russell Hatch, Ph.D. Co-Director of Dissertation John F. Watkins, Ph.D. Director of Graduate Studies May 6, 2005 vi RULES FOR THE USE OF DISSERTATIONS Unpublished theses submitted for the Doctor’s degree and deposited in the University of Kentucky Library are as a rule open for inspection, but are to be used only with due regard to the rights of the authors. Bibliographical references may be noted, but quotations or summaries of parts may be published only with the permission of the author, and with the usual scholarly acknowledgements. Extensive copying or publication of the dissertation in whole or in part requires also the consent of the Dean of the Graduate School of the University of Kentucky. A library that borrows this dissertation for use by its patrons is expected to secure the signature of each user. Name Date vii DISSERTATION Denise Clark Lewis The Graduate School University of Kentucky 2005 viii THE INTERSECTION OF FILIAL PIETY AND CULTURAL DISSONANCE: INTERGENERATIONAL EXCHANGES AMONG KHMER FAMILIES IN THE UNITED STATES DISSERTATION A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the College of Public Health at the University of Kentucky By Denise Clark Lewis Lexington, Kentucky Co-Directors: Dr. B. Jan McCulloch, Professor of Family Social Science, St Paul, Minnesota and Dr. Laurie Russell Hatch, Professor of Sociology, Lexington, Kentucky Copyright © Denise Clark Lewis 2005 ix ACKNOWLDEGEMENTS A Personal Journey within an Inspirational Network Like many graduate student researchers, I traveled a circuitous path to get to this work. I grew up in the fifties, sixties, and seventies not thinking much about refugees or immigrants. I knew that my male relatives and friends stood a good chance of going to fight a war in Vietnam that none of us seemed to understand with a group of people with whom we could not identify. The languages and customs of Southeast Asia were not issues of importance to me as I came of age in a small southern farming community. My concerns were with fulfilling what felt like my “natural” role as a wife and, eventually, a mother. It was not until my own daughter was nearing the time for college that I decided that I, too, should begin the process of learning about the world and how people acted within it. And so, at age forty, I became a college freshman. A desire to learn broadly led me to courses such as American history, biology, anthropology, foreign language, psychology, and chemistry. About the same time that I began to learn of the world outside my small, southern comfort zone, I met a young Vietnamese woman, Lin Ly. Lin Ly and I were in Spanish, chemistry, and botany classes together. Both thought we might go to medical school. On a trip sponsored by the pre-med honor society, she and I traveled together. She told me of her family’s escape from Vietnam, the beauty of the Vietnamese countryside, the lushness of its forests, and the flavors of its fruit. As she described the life she and her family fled, I realized how nearly monumental was my own ignorance. It became my quest to learn more about Southeast Asia. Whenever possible, I tailored my papers and assignments around topics dealing with that region. I wanted to understand how my government was involved in what happened in Vietnam and surrounding countries nearly a quarter of a century earlier. I was shocked that I knew so little about what had happened even though reports were on the nightly news and the war was the topic of debates in high school civics classes. To gain an understanding of that time, I reported on the wars in the region for a term paper in American history. The plight of refugees and the problems they encountered during resettlement were not things I had previously known so I interviewed Vietnamese fisherfolk as part of an anthropology project. Those interviews revealed a strong gender difference in experiences so I held focus group discussions with Malaysian university women and reported my findings in a health and culture class. My quest for filling in the vast number of blanks associated with that time and place led me to volunteer to teach English to a Cambodian monk in exchange for learning about Khmer families and Cambodian culture. The elders of the community went to great lengths to introduce me to Khmer music, food, and culture. I learned to perform graceful folk dances, sing along with Khmer Karaoke, and cook traditional Khmer foods. I suspect, during my early visits to the community in 1997, that the people of the village had no idea how hard it would be to get rid of me. Since that time, the people of Veluvanna Village, especially the elders, have welcomed me into their lives and tolerated my questions about extraordinary, esoteric, and mundane aspects of their existence. The hospitality they have shown me, and others who came to visit—my husband, daughter, mother, and friends, has been overwhelming. They have taught me patience. They have taught me that sharing is more important than accumulating. They have taught me that loving kindness is stronger than aggression. My own family has also contributed to my wonderful adventure. Without Michael’s steadfast love, devotion, support, and encouragement, I might have abandoned my dream of learning about myself and others long before I reached the end of the path. As Brooke and I moved through college, then she through law school and I through graduate school, she has proven that one’s daughter can be really, really supportive and makes a good gripe-about-the- professors-and-all-the-work-we-do buddy. She has shown me that hard work and lots of studying iii can pay off.