Growing Up American : How Vietnamese Children Adapt to Life in the United States

Vietnamese Americans form a unique segment of the new U.S. immigrant population. Uprooted from their homeland and often thrust into poor urban neighborhoods, these newcomers have nevertheless managed to establish strong communities in a short space of time. Most remarkably, their children often perform at high academic levels despite difficult circumstances. Growing Up American tells the story of Vietnamese children and sheds light on how they are negotiating the difficult passage into American society. Min Zhou and Carl Bankston draw on research and insights from many sources, including the U.S. census, survey data, and their own observations and in-depth interviews. Focusing on the Versailles Village enclave in New Orleans, one of many newly established Vietnamese communities in the United States, the authors examine the complex skein of family, community, and school influences that shape these children's lives. With no ties to existing ethnic communities, Vietnamese refugees had little control over where they were settled and no economic or social networks to plug into. Growing Up American describes the process of building communities that were not simply transplants but distinctive outgrowths of the environment in which the Vietnamese found themselves. Family and social organizations re-formed in new ways, blending economic necessity with cultural tradition. These reconstructed communities create a particular form of social capital that helps disadvantaged families overcome the problems associated with poverty and ghettoization. Outside these enclaves, Vietnamese children faced a daunting school experience due to language difficulties, racial inequality, deteriorating educational services, and exposure to an often adversarial youth subculture. How have the children of Vietnamese refugees managed to overcome these challenges? Growing Up American offers important evidence that community solidarity, cultural values, and a refugee sensibility have provided them with the resources needed to get ahead in American society. Zhou and Bankston also document the price exacted by the process of adaptation, as the struggle to define a personal identity and to decide what it means to be American sometimes leads children into conflict with their tight-knit communities. Growing Up American is the first comprehensive study of the unique experiences of Vietnamese immigrant children. It sets the agenda for future research on second generation immigrants and their entry into American society. This book tells the story of America's single largest group of refugee children, the children of Vietnamese refugees, as they have experienced growing up in the United States. Although a significant minority of these children lags behind, for the most part Vietnamese children's school success suggests that ethnic progress depends on more than the human and financial capital with which the immigrant parents begin. The book relies mainly on a case study of Versailles Village, a low-income urban minority community in New Orleans (Louisiana), the second-largest Vietnamese community outside California. Surveys in 1993 (n=198) and 1994 (n=404) focused on Vietnamese high school students in this community. Chapter 1, "The Scatterings of War," traces the historical progress of Vietnamese resettlement. Chapter 2, "Resettlement," describes the demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of the Vietnamese population in the United States. Chapter 3, "The Reconstruction of the Ethnic Community and the Refugee Family," shows the ethnic community and the family as sources of social capital, and chapter 4, "Networks of Social Relations: Support and Control," describes patterns of social and kinship relations in the Vietnamese social system. Chapter 5, "Language and Adaptation," considers the issue of parental native language. Chapter 6, "Experiences in Adaptation to American Schools," explores school adaptation among Vietnamese students. Bicultural conflict and the issues of gender role changes and ethnic identification encountered by young Vietnamese are discussed in chapter 7, "Straddling the Gap: Bicultural Conflicts and Gender Role Changes." Chapter 8, "Delinquency: Insiders and Outsiders," describes specific patterns of peer group association among Vietnamese children and examines how they may be affected by differential associations with peers. Chapter 9, "Conclusion: Contexts of Reception, Selective Americanization, and the Implications for the New Second Generation," summarizes the main findings of the study and discusses the implications of these findings for other groups. (Contains 13 figures, 42 tables, and 209 references.) (SLD) Growing Up American Tells The Story Of Vietnamese Children And Sheds Light On Why Their Often Troubled Passage Into American Society Has Thus Far Been Successful. Drawing On Research And Insights From The U.s. Census, Survey Data, And Their Own Participant Observation And In-depth Interviews, Min Zhou And Carl Bankston Focus On The Versailles Village Enclave In New Orleans, One Of Many Newly Established Vietnamese Communities In The United States, To Examine The Complex Skein Of Family, Community, And School Influences That Shape These Children's Lives. With No Ties To Existing Ethnic Communities, Vietnamese Refugees Had Little Control Over Where They Were Settled And No Economic Or Social Networks To Offer Them Assistance. Growing Up American Describes The Process Of Building Communities That Were Distinctive Outgrowths Of The New Environment In Which The Vietnamese Found Themselves. Familial And Cultural Organizations Reformed In New Ways, Blending Economic Necessity With Cultural Tradition. These Reconstructed Social Structures Create A Particular Form Of Social Capital That Helps Disadvantaged Families Overcome The Problems Associated With Poverty And Ghettoization.--book Jacket. Introduction: The Children Of Vietnamese Refugees -- The Scatterings Of War -- Resettlement -- The Reconstruction Of The Ethnic Community And The Refugee Family -- Networks Of Social Relations: Support And Control -- Language And Adaptation -- Experiences In Adaptation To American Schools -- Straddling The Gap: Bicultural Conflicts And Gender Role Changes -- Delinquency: Insiders And Outsiders -- Conclusion: Contexts Of Reception, Selective Americanization, And The Implications For The New Second Generation. Min Zhou, Carl L. Bankston, Iii. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 247-259) And Index. Cover Title Page, Copyright Contents Acknowledgments Introduction. The Children of Vietnamese Refugees Chapter 1. The Scatterings of War Chapter 2. Resettlement Chapter 3. The Reconstruction of the Ethnic Community and the Refugee Family Chapter 4. Networks of Social Relations: Support and Control Chapter 5. Language and Adaptation Chapter 6. Experiences in Adaptation to American Schools Chapter 7. Straddling the Gap: Bicultural Conflicts and Gender Role Changes Chapter 8. Delinquency: Insiders and Outsiders Chapter 9. Conclusion: Contexts of Reception, Selective Americanization, and the Implications for the New Second Generation Notes References Index