The Concubines Children: The False Belief of Adaptation in Immigration - Book Report/Review Example

The Concubine’s Children: The False Belief of Adaptation in Immigration Introduction Adaptation into a new society is one that creates several boundaries between those that move in between cultures. The ability to move into a new land and establish a home is one that is based on creating a new identity first. However, the cultural affiliations and the question of identity create boundaries that don’t allow an individual to become a part of the culture. When looking at the book, The Concubine’s Children, by Denise Chong, there is a sense of the displacement and boundaries which occur. The idea of adaptation is one that becomes fragmented in identity and in being able to move to a foreign land without associating one’s identity with being foreign. Complexities in Immigrant Adaptation The immigrant adaptation that is developed in various regions is dependent on attitudes, behaviors, definitions and associations with a majority culture. The attitudes which are created create differences between the majority or native groups and the minority groups and immigrants that come from a different region. The first level of adaptation is one which is based on culture shock, which is based on the initial reactions, misunderstandings and lack of understanding about the majority culture. The process then continues with trying to adapt to behaviors, cultural norms, language and identifying the self in a different context. However, this often occurs without completely adapting into society or being a part of the majority mentality and group. The ability to adapt is based on cognitive styles and the association with both individual personality and overall adaptation into society (Witkin, 17). Throughout the explanations offered by Chong, there is a sense of trying to adapt and the continuous displacement that is a part of coming from China and assimilating in Canada. The metaphor that is used is one which is based on having a division of identity in two, one which belongs to the old culture and the other which is a part of the new. “It was as if the coat, in its last performance, in forbearance and forgiveness, had itself restored the two halves of the family – one in Canada, one in China – to one” (Chong, 3). This particular example becomes a main association in the book where the idea of adaptation also means losing part of one’s identity to gain another. While there is a strong association with the original culture, the need to be a part of the new becomes the main concern. The ability to adapt within society is not only seen with the tearing apart of identity by trying to fit in with the majority. There are also other layers of adaptation which occur. Acculturation and ethnic relations are two areas which are defined when one is working into a society. Acculturation is when an individual decides to begin being a part of the majority culture. Language, food, dress and other appearances are a part of the main culture while the area in which one immigrates form is left behind. The desire is to build ethnic relations with others that are in the community while creating a plural society of multiculturalism. It is noted that this changes security, tolerance and ethnic attitudes among both majority and minority groups while developing attitudes within the larger of society (Berry, 719: 2006). The changes in attitude that are noted with adaptation is one that is also seen in the narration. For instance, when working toward moving into the Canadian community, it is expected that Chen Sam and his family lives in Chinatown, works in a sewing factory and takes their place among immigrants. While this is expected for immigrants, the need to adapt into the society becomes more prominent based on need and the expected lifestyle of those working in the country. “Chan Sam had his own ideas about what his daughter’s next move should be. ‘Everybody is buying a house,’ he said. He persuaded them to look at what he’d found for sale… Winnie and John liked the neighborhood. There was a United Church across the street and on one side was a gray stucco house with a white picket fence” (Chong, 194). In this example, the idea of assimilating into a culture doesn’t come from the second generation, but is instead the wish of the individual which migrated, specifically because of the belief that it is easier to adapt in this manner. The concept isn’t based only on the idea of having more opportunity by adapting but also on fitting into the new life. The neighborhood, church and the details with the white picket fence all create an image that is strictly Canadian and doesn’t show the identity of being from China and the different livelihood. One then has the impression that adaptation begins with the physical changes that make it appear as though the identity has changed. Defining Displacement While there is a desire to fit into society and to have a specific expectation with moving into a region, there is also a sense of displacement. This becomes a division of identity as well as a division within society among immigrants. The first part of this is from the psychology of immigrants. The mentality which is created is based on the cultural misunderstandings and changes in definition of what it means to be in a culture. The sense of belonging and knowing instantly disappears. The psychological shift in the immigrant then begins to feel displaced, specifically in which a sense of duality is created. This includes two world views, differences in cultural practices and the constant need to negotiate one’s social position to both fit in and to hold onto the cultural concepts that one has from their own society. The sense of self and the way in which one fits into society then becomes a division among those who have a connection to their own culture but are separated by affiliation and psychological divisions of unfamiliarity (Mahalingam, 12). The sense of displacement that occurs within Chong’s narrative is seen with both the first and second generation in America. This is seen as the story unfolds with the father of the narrator and his loss of association with China because of the Communist Regime. Losing contact with his family, forbidden writing and the inability to connect with the familiar is instantly set into place with the older generation. “But like inedible ink the words that invariably ended my mother’s sad tales of her childhood could not be blotted from my conscience: ‘I had nobody.’” (Chong, 4). The displacement is one which shows that his mother is cut off from China; however, this is the only culture or family that she knows. Not having contact and the inability to understand what was known while not having close relationships, such as family, in the current community shows the main displacement of the first generation. While the first generation shows displacement with belonging to the unknown while not being able to go back, the second generation in Chong’s narrative experiences a different type of displacement. The difficulty which arises is based on the misunderstandings of culture in the current society while still being attached to what is known by the parents. The displacement is one that has the rules and culture of the parents that are carried through with the children. However, the children also associate with the other culture, which creates a division that occurs psychologically and as a conflict within the home and in society. Hing is the representation of this and is seen with constantly being pulled into what is expected traditionally while wanting to go to the cultural events that she sees from peers. “In May-ying’s eyes, Hing showed disrespect and rebellion simply by asking to go to any organized teen social events in Chinatown or at school. When she dared ask, May-ying implied her motives were suspect” (Chong, 155). The divisions that are continuously created psychologically as well as with the different societal pressures then show various levels of displacement that occur within society. The displacement that is referred to with the first and generation in this narrative is one that is related directly to the psychological difficulties encountered. Post traumatic stress disorder, family separations and trauma as a part of the experience are all associated with this particular movement. It is also noted that this is passed on to those who are second generation immigrants, specifically because of the continuous battles with attachment, beliefs in the family and the surrounding societal pressures. The concept of attachment anxiety is also known to develop, specifically which is based on the inability to attach to the identity of culture that one belongs to and to have the distant attachment to the original culture which one is from. These family and social dynamics then create difficulties among those that are associated with immigration, leading to the overall displacement through various generations. The Immigrant Experience in Canada The main concepts that Chong notes throughout her narrative is one that can be directly associated with the immigrant experience in Canada. A component which is specific to Canada is based on the belief in multiculturalism that is a part of the political and social beliefs in the nation. This began in the 1930s, closely after World War II when a large fluctuation of immigrants began to go to Canada as refugees. When this happened, the Prime Minster announced the concept of multiculturalism, which is the belief that every area should embrace diversity of culture while allowing practices to remain prominent in society. At the same time, each individual should be a part of the Canadian culture. This identified the concept of developing a national language and of having specific national identities which immigrants and those who were in Canada could be a part of. From this time, there has been a development of settlement, specifically with large numbers of immigrants moving into various regions and working toward assimilating into the community (Abu-Ayyash, Brochu, 20). While the immigrant experience in Canada is based on the idea of assimilating into the larger social order while keeping a sense of diversity, other practical concepts create separation and boundaries among those who migrate. The first is the separation from being in a homeland and the way that this builds a sense of displacement when in a public or private place. The effects that this has on family as well as the inability to create a sense of belonging to the culture hinder the capability of belonging to a multicultural group. This is followed by problems with available resources. Language barriers and the inability to express culture is the main part of this. This is followed by the economic structure, which doesn’t provide the right opportunities for immigrants. Most work in low income jobs and labor intensive areas, specifically because of the lack of education or training for the higher paid jobs that are in the country. The economic outcomes then lead to segments of town that are lower priced and are specific for immigrants, such as China Town, while keeping the immigrants separate from other segments of society (Picot, 1). While the sense of multiculturalism continues to flourish in Canada, it is known that there is a problem with having resources to change the outcome of the economic and living status of those in the region. Transnational links are based on the social scale which one has when they come to Canada. If the individual or family comes with a larger amount of money, then the migration becomes easier. The family has the capacity of going back and forth to their homeland and is able to easily acquire more wealth to ensure a better standard of living and education for their children. It has been found that the gap of transition with this class of immigrants is not at large because of the choices made and the connections that are a part of the region. As the economic scale lessens, then the gap furthers. The displacement and the desire to assimilate into society become greater with fewer opportunities to connect to the culture and country available. Instead of the idea of immigration being based on finding a place of security and settlement, there are questions of economic capital that accumulates and values those that come into the different region (Kelly, Lusis, 831). The main complexities that are a part of the immigrant population not only create a sense of displacement and the need to assimilate into the environment. There are also changes in attitudes that cause the minority to remain as a separate identity and marginalized from the community. The attitudes that are created are based first on the definition that is from the original country, such as the expectations with work and the way in which things should be conducted. However, the area in which one migrates to may not provide the right opportunities or have the same environment as is defined from those of a different culture. When this occurs, a different attitude is created about the environment and those that are surrounding the individual. The concept of habitus is then applied where a safe definition is given to allow the immigrants to remain in the area while trying to create an attitude that holds onto the known culture. The result is cultural essentialism, where one has to compromise with the given values and expectations from the country they are from and the definitions that have changed and created new attitudes as immigrants (Bauder, 709). The overall problem which is associated with the environment, new structure and attitudes leads back to a personal change that the individual has to go to. The identity crisis of an immigrant leads to the main problem, specifically because of the accumulation of immigrants within a given community and the lack of roots that are in the country. As the individuals assimilate, there is an association with acculturation, which moves between both cultures. Those who hold to a certain identity are also working within an outside identity to create a sense of belonging. However, when this is never perceived or completed in the right manner, it can lead to more difficulties, such as an identity crisis in which one doesn’t feel the sense of belonging in the culture. It is noted that diverse cities, as well as those that don’t have as high of a population have the same crisis among immigrants who can’t find a sense of belonging within society (Gregg, 1). The overall experience of identity that is never created then leads to problems within Canada as well as from immigrants who can’t find a sense of placement in society. The concept of social cohesion becomes prevalent in which boundaries are formed as a result of the economic, social and cultural differences. As the definitions of each culture are recreated, there is a sense of trying to redefine value. Those who are native of the country will create a sense of value over the existence in the community which has already been established. However, those that are immigrating into the community will have a different sense of value. This creates the main social cohesion, which divides those in the groups and creates a sense of displacement and the inability to integrate those who immigrate from a foreign country. The result is divisions in economy, labor, living space and in the ability to diversify the culture and thoughts within a given community (Reitz, Banerjee, 7). The various concepts that are a part of the Canadian structure of immigrants are also seen in the way in which Chong approaches her narrative. The economic structure of the first and second generation immigrants shows that there is poor labor which is taken within society as the only option. This is combined with the living situation in Chinatown and the separatism which occurs from the community at large and the immigrants in Canada. This is furthered by the cultural aspects which are foreign to Canada and which remain foreign to the second generations in Chong’s book. The concept of identity becomes one that begins with individual misinterpretations of the community and definition of belonging into a new culture. This is combined with the inability to have the same economic, social and cultural experiences and opportunities as a native of Canada. Chong shows that these complexities build the sense of displacement as well as a desire to assimilate. However, the ability to fit into the society is one which can’t be reached. Conclusion Immigration and the question of identity is one that raises several boundaries among various societies. The cultural differences, individual definitions and physical separations of economy and living structure create several identity differences within a community. In Chong’s book, there is a defined understanding of the differences. While there is a sense of displacement from one perspective, the other side shows that there is the inability to accommodate to the current culture. The result is being half of China and half of Canada, both which remain divided but make up the whole. Works Cited Abu, Ayyash, Caroline, Paula Brochu. “Our Diverse Cities.” Metropolis (2), 2006. Bauder, Harald. “Origin, Employment Status and Attitudes Towards Work: Immigrants in Vancouver, Canada.” Work Employment and Society 20 (4), 2006. Berry, John. “Mutual Attitudes Among Immigrants and Ethnocultural Groups in Canada.” International Journal of Intercultural Relations 30 (6), 2006. Chong, Denise. The Concubine’s Children. Penguin Group: New York, 1994. Gregg, Allan. “Identity Crisis.” The Walrus (March), 2006. Kelly, P, T Lusis. “Migration and the Transnational Habitus: Evidence from Canada and the Philippines.” Environment and Planning 38 (5). Mahalingam, Ram. Cultural Psychology of Immigrants. Routledge: New York, 2006. Picot, Garnett. “Immigrant Economic and Social Outcomes in Canada: Research and Data Development at Statistics Canada.” Statistics Canada, 2005. Reitz, JG, R Banerjee. Racial Inequality, Social Cohesion and Policy Issues in Canada. Routledge: New York, 2007. Witkin, Herman. Cognitive Styles in Personal and Cultural Adaptation. Clark University Press: Massachusetts, 2008. Read More