Negotiating "cultural" identities: exploration of young Asian women's racialized-gendered experiences and mental well-being

Maria Krisel Abulencia

doi:10.32920/ryerson.14662884.v1

Abstract

Explanations of mental health outcomes of Asian women in diaspora are often invoked through the concepts of “culture” and “acculturation” with little consideration of asymmetric power relations and structural influences. Informed by critical theories and a narrative approach, this secondary research analyzed data of an exploratory study with fourteen 1.5 and second generation young Asian women living in Toronto, Canada. Research results include: (1) identity construction is a complex process shaped by participants’ experiences in both the “mainstream” and “heritage” contexts; (2) participants’ encounters of racialized-sexism, microaggressions, and “Othering” contributed to varying degrees of internalized oppressions, which compromised their mental well-being; (3) family support and community engagement enhanced participants’ positive self-concept and resilience; and (4) current conceptualizations of “acculturation” and “enculturation” are inadequate as they negate the structural determinants of integration. Nursing research, policy and practice must consider the effects of structural factors in identity construction and mental well-being.

Highlights

Canada is recognized as one of the most culturally diverse countries in the world, with over235,000 new landed immigrants per year (Statistics Canada, 2016)
The first group interview focused on the growing up experiences of the participants at home and at school; the second group interview explored the participants’ racialized and gendered experiences in constructing their identities; and the third group interview invited participants to express their vision of an equitable social world for Asian and other racialized young women
Our findings reveal the complex interactions between Whiteness, power relations, and systemic inequality, and how they construct racialized-gendered contexts that shape young Asian women’s mental health experiences

Summary

Introduction

Canada is recognized as one of the most culturally diverse countries in the world, with over235,000 new landed immigrants per year (Statistics Canada, 2016). Research suggests that 1.5 generation and 2.0 generation individuals experience greater mental health challenges compared to their 1.0 generation counterparts (Islam et al, 2014; SuarezOrozco & Qin, 2006) Their mental health status and resilience is associated with their experiences of having to simultaneously navigate and negotiate the norms and expectations of their “heritage” and “mainstream” Canadian sociocultural demands (Lee et al, 2009). Dominant research on the acculturation experiences of Asian people in diaspora often negate the role of structural influences, such as power relationships and systemic inequity, in mediating ones’ “acculturation” processes and outcomes (Chirkov, 2009a) These studies seldom consider young Asian women’s racialized and gendered social positions and related everyday encounters that shape their “acculturation” experiences, identity construction, and mental health outcomes. Without incorporating a critical perspective, research that applies acculturation theories in simplistic ways can potentially pathologize young Asian women, perpetuate stereotypes (Ngo, 2008), promote victim-blaming, and limit mental health care to individual-level interventions (Viruell-Fuentes, 2007)

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Conclusion