Cultural Studies after Postmodernism: The Process of Cultural Translation and Vietnamese American Culture

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 24520317
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Literature in English
• Research Institution: Waseda University
• Principal Investigator: ASO Takashi 早稲田大学, 国際教養学術院, 教授 (80286434)
• Project Period (FY): 2012-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: アメリカ文学 / ベトナム系 / ポストモダニズム / 文化翻訳 / トランスカルチャー / ハイブリッド文化

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In this research, I have been working on the process of cultural translation in Vietnamese American culture. My main targets have been the 1.5 and 2nd generations of Vietnamese Americans--the 1.5 generation means the immigrants born in Vietnam who moved at a young age to the U.S. where they were educated, while the 2nd generation refers to those born and educated in the U.S.
The immigrant culture that these young generations have created has not only contributed to building and developing local Vietnamese American communities but also affecting and influencing the formation of mainstream American culture. I would argue that Vietnamese American culture is an example of hybrid culture, or the process of cultural translation, where people with different cultural backgrounds connect two or more distinct cultures, rather than that of a melting pot where new comers make every possible effort to get adjusted to another community and another culture.

Free Research Field

人文学