Feminist Analysis of Life Histories of Hawaii's Early Asian Immigrant Women

Abstract

This paper is a feminist analysis of life histories of the early Asian immigrant women in Hawaii. By looking at their lives in the context of historical and multi-dimensional socio-cultural reality, we were able to demonstrate the dialectic relationship between the multiple oppressions of culture, class and race that these women have undergone and the adaptive strategies that they developed in Hawaii through female solidarity, religious faith and memories of mothers' and grandmothers' strengths. Specific questions considered in analyzing life histories were based on feminist conceptual frameworks of women as active strategists and creators of women-centered culture in their specific historical, and socio-cultural contexts. They include: (1) Why did they come? (2) How did they respond to their subordinate status? (3) How did they survive? (4) What did women do to support each other to achieve their goals? and (5) What was the female experience through the life cycle stages?