Study 09 Identity, Culture, and Community with 12 free online flashcards. Review key terms, definitions, and concepts with this interactive flashcard deck.
What does the broad label Asian American encompass?
Asian American includes people with roots across East, Southeast, and South Asia and, depending on context and self-identification, Central Asia. It is distinct from Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander.
When and why did Asian American become a pan-ethnic identity?
Asian American became a pan-ethnic identity in the 1960s as people from different Asian backgrounds organized around shared experiences and rejected older, imposed labels.
What can shape a person's identity beyond ancestry?
Identity may reflect ancestry, birthplace, citizenship, family stories, neighborhood, race, gender, sexuality, class, and personal relationships—not ancestry alone.
How did Asian adults most often describe their identity in Pew's 2023 survey?
In a 2023 survey, 52% of Asian adults most often used an ethnic identity alone or with “American,” while 28% used “Asian” or “Asian American.”
How are first, second, and third-or-later generations generally described?
The first generation generally refers to immigrants; the second to U.S.-born children of immigrants; and third or later generations to people with U.S.-born parents and earlier U.S.-born ancestors.
What can generational labels not tell you about a person?
Generational labels can describe migration histories, but they do not predict how a person thinks or behaves. People who immigrate as children may describe their experiences differently from those who arrive as adults.
How can family connect generations and shape cultural experience?
Family can connect generations through stories, caregiving, food, celebrations, faith, and contact with relatives elsewhere. It can also be a place where people negotiate expectations or languages.
Why is culture not a fixed set of customs?
Culture is lived and changing, not a fixed set of customs shared by everyone with Asian ancestry. People and communities may adapt practices and combine influences.
How do Asian Americans' relationships with heritage languages vary?
Asian Americans speak many languages and dialects. People differ in whether they speak, understand, read, or are learning a heritage language.
What can a person's home language not establish on its own?
A language spoken at home does not, by itself, establish how someone identifies or how connected they feel to a heritage.
What does religious diversity among Asian Americans include?
Asian Americans include Christians, Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Jains, Jews, people connected to Daoist or other traditions, and people with no religious affiliation.
Why shouldn't overall religion survey figures be used to assume an individual's beliefs?
A 2023 survey found 34% of Asian American adults identified as Christian, 32% as religiously unaffiliated, and 6% as Muslim. Patterns differed substantially among origin groups, so these figures cannot predict an individual's beliefs.