American Culture Research Articles

Heritage language development in Spanish-English-speaking preschoolers: Influences on growth and challenges in the first year of English-only instruction.

This study investigates the changes in the Spanish lexical and grammatical skills of 26 Spanish-English dual language learners during their first year of preschool. We also explore the impact of age, gender, and maternal cultural orientation on children's language outcomes over time. The results show that, despite one year of English-only instruction, the children's Spanish productions became more intelligible, lexically diverse, and grammatical between 3;7 and 4;7. However, Spanish productions were mostly limited to sentence fragments and contained errors in grammatical gender, verb morphology, object clitic pronouns, and prepositions. Girls had an advantage over boys, as attested by the higher lexical diversity, mean length of utterance, and grammaticality of their Spanish productions. Both maternal enculturation and acculturation predicted the grammaticality of children's utterances, suggesting that mothers with high levels of orientation to both Latinx and American culture may be the most successful at promoting Spanish in the United States.

Abstract PR012: Social and Structural Influences of Preventive Cancer Screenings for Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Adults in Hawaiʻi

Abstract Background: Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders (NHPI) are hindered by sociocultural, geographic, and environmental factors that contribute to cancer health disparities, often masked by aggregated data with Asian Americans. An average of 7,393 Hawai‘i residents are diagnosed with invasive cancer yearly, and rates are disproportionate ethnically; . Native Hawaiians and Micronesians suffer higher mortality rates for breast cancer (24.9 and 21.6 per 100,000) than White women (17.0). This study aims to investigate social drivers of health behaviors among NHPI in Hawaiʻi by examining social factors that influence cancer screenings through mixed methods. Methods: This mixed methods study is a follow-up to a cross-sectional survey administered in 2018 to 3 Pacific Islander ethnic subgroups: Native Hawaiians, Chuukese, and Marshallese in Hawaiʻi using Respondent Driven Sampling within public housing (N=1,010 NHPI). Disparate cancer screening practices were uncovered within these groups when compared to Hawaiʻi state data. Logistic regression was used to analyze predictors of colon, breast, and cervical cancer screenings. The Gelberg Behavioral Model for Vulnerable Populations and socio-ecological model served as the theoretical models. To triangulate the findings, 16 semi-structured interviews with adults living within the communities first surveyed were conducted in 2023 to uncover any additional drivers of health behaviors that the regression missed. Results: Quantitative findings include cultural/linguistic misunderstandings between NHPI and healthcare providers. Participants who indicated difficulty understanding a provider’s instructions because of language were 51% less likely to be screened for cervical cancer (p = .04). Individuals who hold neutral acculturation to both their ethnic and American culture are less likely to be screened for cancer. Those whose responses fell in a neutral category were 40% less likely than those with a high ethnic identity to have had a colon cancer screening (p = .02). Qualitative findings demonstrate differing views among Pacific Islander groups including competition for resources between groups within public housing. All of the interviewees highlight the role of God and faith in decision making. Informational exchanges take place mainly within the family and cohabitants. From triangulating the findings, there is a lack of strong social ties/networks that could facilitate health-based resources and knowledge. Families are not discussing self-care or family histories of disease, which are instrumental in the early detection of cancers and missed within the regression. Conclusion: This study provides insight into the social drivers of cancer screenings for NHPI communities in Hawaiʻi. Novel insights for the fields of medical sociology and public health are highlighted by influential social processes to NHPI cancer screening behaviors. Recommendations include further research and programs that focus on and foster social dynamics of these communities in relation to cancer screenings. Citation Format: Mark L. Willingham Jr., Kevin Cassel, Wei Zhang, Tressa P. Diaz, Angela Sy, Ian Pagano, Munirih R. Ta'afaki, Angelina G. Mummert. Social and Structural Influences of Preventive Cancer Screenings for Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Adults in Hawaiʻi [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 17th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2024 Sep 21-24; Los Angeles, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2024;33(9 Suppl):Abstract nr PR012.

Museum Grants for American Latino History and Culture (IMLS)

Museum Grants for American Latino History and Culture (IMLS)

Philadelphia Chinatown’s cultural image construction since the 1960s

Philadelphia Chinatown, an immigration hub with diverse cultures, is a vibrant ethnic enclave in Pennsylvania. It has a long history of being secluded due to national sentiments as well as persecution and fighting against urban construction projects. Through the analysis of Philadelphia Chinatown’s social structure and iconic features, this paper analyzes the Chinatown society’s cultural image construction since the 1960s, and further discusses its changing cultural patterns in the American society. It is argued in this paper that: Philadelphia Chinatown, mainly comprised of poor peasants and wealthy merchants in an early stage, is based on commerce; its cultural image was constructed by Orientalism, stemming from both the internal organizations of the community and external society, and took roots on its commercial basis; the Chinese traditions in the Chinatown society are comparatively static, while, on the other hand, the community’s culture is infiltrated by American cultures, making connections with indigenous societies.

The Spiritual Journey of Chinese Americans Viewed from the Cultural Connotation of The Joy Luck Club

Chinese-American writers who live in both Chinese and American cultures are the most sensitive to cultural conflict and integration. Amy Tan is one of those writers who probe deeply into the relationship between the Chinese and American cultures. The Joy Luck Club, a novel that tells stories of four Chinese mothers and their American-born daughters, has caused a great sensation inside and outside the United States and made Tan a famous writer. From the perspective of intercultural communication, Cultural conflicts between four couples of mother and daughter, between husbands and wives arising from the difference in cultural background are looked into from the angles of Chinese obedience to parents and American independence and democracy, Chinese women’s submissiveness and American women’s independence, Chinese family’s honor and American individual achievement, Chinese high-context culture and American low- context culture, Chinese superstition and American science. The causes of the conflicts are also discussed in the aspects of Chinese culture and American culture. Chinese mothers are deeply influenced by the concept of "Three Obedience and Four Virtues", "Resign oneself to Adversity", Etc. However, American daughters are born in the culture that emphasizes "Individualism, Equality, Independence and Freedom." In this thesis, it is also put forward that despite the conflicts, mutual compatibility of two cultures is unavoidable and an inescapable tendency, which reflects the development from the clash to the coexistence of the two cultures in the context of globalization.

Necro-branding: Elvis Presley as a necro-celebrity

ABSTRACT A myriad of investigations has examined the life and works of Elvis Presley from music, entertainment, and cultural perspectives. There is little doubt about his remarkable longevity and marketability. Yet, surprisingly, there has been little scholarly work attempting to explain the entertainer’s impact on a global scale, specifically from a branding perspective. Drawing from the emerging stream of research on necro-marketing, we introduce the novel concept of ‘necro-branding’ and associated, ‘necro-celebrity’, into the literature. We develop insights into consumer comments of 13,000 Elvis Presley YouTube videos via sentiment and lexical analyses. Key themes emerging from that investigation provide insights into that new concept of necro-branding. In particular, religion, musical talent, American culture, ceremonial and ritualistic elements, affect capturing, and mystical aura ‘the eternal’ resulted from our analysis. While these themes relate specifically to Elvis Presley, we argue, they would also be directly applicable to other famous dead celebrities, or as we now coin the term, necro-celebrities. Finally, theory stemming from our analysis presents a framework to explain a fan and other stakeholders (Elvis Presley Enterprises EPE, family, impersonators, festival organisers, Graceland) co-created Elvis brand that may have equal applicability to other necro-celebrities, just with different context.

Visualizing imperial encounters: PLACA and US-Central American solidarity murals in San Francisco’s Mission District

This article examines two 1984 murals—Keeping the Peace in Central America and Culture Contains the Seed of Resistance, Which Blossoms into the Flower of Liberation—painted in San Francisco’s Mission District by members of PLACA, a multi-ethnic collective of thirty-six mural activists. I discuss how the artists depicted imperial encounters in their murals dedicated to US-Central American solidarity as a strategy for building transnational support for Central American liberation movements in the 1980s. PLACA transformed Balmy Alley by creating twenty-seven murals protesting US intervention in Central America and celebrating Central American culture. The collective played a pivotal role in transforming Balmy Alley and manifested the larger Central American solidarity movement taking place across the United States.

Frames of Glass: Goldfish and Gender in Paint, Performance, and Print, 1870–1914

Abstract: This article draws upon examples from fiction, popular journalism, travel writing, theatre, and fine art from 1870 to 1914 to trace the evolving representation of goldfish in relation to shifting attitudes toward women in British and American culture. Beautiful and domesticated, yet quiet, unobtrusive, and often confined to its own miniature domestic "sphere," the goldfish seemed initially to parallel the domestic wife and had been used to naturalize domestic ideology. In the 1870s and 1880s, however, the importation of fancy goldfish with different and exaggerated morphological traits unsettled what the Victorians had taken to be self-evident and natural about this species and, by extension, their own. I argue that, at a time when the gender debate was inflected by biologically deterministic arguments about women's "natural" societal roles, the figure of the goldfish became a remarkably flexible discursive tool to grapple with (or endorse) the changing economic and social trajectories of Anglo-American women. A hitherto unexamined alternative to the quintessential Victorian image of the "bird in the cage," this study of the goldfish and its bowl provides insight into how the Victorians' confrontation with other species encouraged them to look more critically at themselves.

The Influence of American Popular Culture on Chinese English Majors: A Structural Equation Modelling Study

Over the past 40 years, China has become progressively more open and integrated into globalization, including foreign-made movies and TV shows. The influence of American popular culture extends to English majors, who are among the most likely to be shaped by Hollywood’s ‘soft power.’ This research examines how their attitudes and behaviors are influenced by these depictions of American culture and values, and how this shapes their future career paths. A questionnaire (N = 497) was given to English majors at seven universities and analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM). Some of the research literature suggests that Hollywood films particularly promote American visible culture; however, this study finds that non-visible aspects of culture (values, beliefs, lifestyles) are by far the most significant predictor of English majors’ image of America, their behavior, and potentially their future teaching practice. In doing so, Hollywood plays an important role in influencing the perceptions of Chinese English majors, including possibly challenging their value system.

Integrating Intercultural Competence into a Neuroscience Curriculum through a Short-Term Study Abroad Program.

We sought to enrich our neuroscience curriculum by developing a study abroad program that would address curricular goals and requirements at several levels. "Neuroscience and Technology in Germany" was designed to include a diversity of participants, integrate intercultural competence in participants, fulfill university core curriculum requirements, build on the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) foundation of our major, and fulfill major electives. We also hoped that it would serve as a synthetic experience allowing students to integrate foundational coursework with novel ideas and real-world research applications. We developed an itinerary that balanced multiple activities to meet those goals. We included scientific visits, STEM-focused museums, and significant cultural and historical sites. Scientific visits covered a range of topics in the field of neuroscience including cellular and pharmacological neuroscience, development, cognition, mental illness, artificial intelligence, and the mind-body problem. Pre-visit academic activities included review lectures on general topics (e.g., visual system), scaffolded literature reading, and discussion of previous literature from our hosts. Post-visit academic activities integrated previous foundational curriculum with new research. Cultural historical activities encouraged comparison between a student's home culture, predominant North American culture, and German culture. The first iteration was successful academically and logistically. In post-program surveys, 87.5% of students felt the program had met the learning objectives (n=16). Students agreed that scientific visits and preparatory lectures were relevant to the learning objectives, together with several cultural and historical visits. Students responded positively to an outing to the mountains and found a concentration camp memorial visit moving. They nearly universally reported that the program led to their personal growth. Students did not find several guided tours of STEM-related sites were relevant to our learning objectives, and opinions were mixed as to the balance of structured vs. unstructured time, balance of scientific vs. historical/cultural activities, and how to schedule free time. Students asked for more scientific background preparation, so we modified the upcoming iteration to include a "Neuroscience Boot Camp" prior to departure. We also selected guided tours more carefully and modified scheduling according to student feedback.

Have You Eaten?

Abstract Throughout history, empires have promised perpetual peace and justice for all; however, they have constantly bathed in blood while expanding their colonies and control. This paper intends to explore the theological concept of peacemaking from the experiences of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines (uccp) and the Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea (prok), both of which suffered from U.S. (neo)colonialism. It also aims to study how we can live faithfully amidst the empire by decolonizing theology and the church. To achieve this, I will begin by reviewing the concept of peace as proclaimed by empires, from the Roman to the American, and contrast it with the biblical concept of peace. This will be followed by analyzing and evaluating the impact of the received colonial American Protestant cultures and the churches’ responses to the colonial gospel. The final part will propose peace as a way of peacemaking amid the empire. This paper suggests that the concept of peacemaking is essential to decolonizing theology, particularly the theology of sallim (life-giving).

Applying Latin American Cultural and Literary Studies to Diversity Management Education

In today’s business environment, where Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEI&B) efforts are more prominent than ever, organizational leaders must be equipped to address complex interpersonal issues. In this exercise, we present an experiential exercise that provides a framework for addressing complex interpersonal issues in the workplace. The exercise utilizes some of the tenets of testimonio, a theory grounded in Latin American cultural and literary studies to guide the discussion of mini-cases. This exercise guides students through the understanding of interpersonal workplace scenarios, taking into account the experiences of employees from both social and legal perspectives, and developing multiple solutions while anticipating the consequences of those solutions. This exercise was developed with in-person graduate or undergraduate classes in mind.

Comparative Study on Quorum Modulatory Effect of Selected Medicinal Plants on Chromobacterium violaceum ATCC 12472 (MTCC 2656)

Among the main global health concern is the rampant rise in antibiotic resistant bacteria. One of the appealing and promising strategies to combat this menace is to target the adaptive mechanism called quorum sensing (QS) used by bacteria to survive. Exploratory research on anti-QS compounds derived from natural products has been a promising area. The present study investigated methanolic extracts from 26 plants to compare their anti-QS activity using the QS biosensor strain Chromobacterium violaceum American Type Culture Collection (ATCC 12472) (Microbial Type Culture Collection MTCC2656). QS-mediated violacein pigment inhibition was carried out using agar well diffusion method with concentrations ranging from 10 mg/ml to 100 mg/ml. Leaf extracts of Mangifera indica and Pimenta dioica and peel extract of Punica granatum were the only three plants found to exhibit violacein inhibitory potential till 10 mg/ml. The result of the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) showed 1.6 mg/ml for M. indica and P. dioica and 6.25 mg/ml for P. granatum. Further, violacein inhibitory properties of these extracts at and below MIC were evaluated by well diffusion assay (qualitative) and by flask incubation assay (quantitative). The zone of inhibition (well diffusion assay) was found to be 14.51 ± 0.63 mm to 10.37 ± 0.68mm for M. indica, 15.23 ± 0.57 mm to 9.62 ± 1.29 mm for P. granatum and 17.01 ± 0.1 mm to 13.14 ± 0.18 mm for P. dioica. The inhibitory effect of the plant extracts via quantitative assay on violacein ranged from 83-49%, 89-81%, and 89-49% for M. indica, P. granatum, and P. dioica respectively. Our findings suggested the potential of M. indica, P. granatum, and P. dioica methanolic extracts as a source of effective inhibitors of QS-mediated violacein production.

Religious Coping Styles Used by Young Black Women Who Experience DatingViolence.

Young Black women experience higher rates of dating violence victimization compared to their White peers. Religion is a cornerstone of African American culture, suggesting that Black women may use religious coping after experiencing trauma like dating violence. However, research has not explored the patterns of religious coping following dating violence experiences. The current study analyzed survey data from 481 young Black women aged 18-19 years on their religious coping behaviors, acceptance of violence beliefs, and dating violence victimization experiences. Results showed that victimization was positively associated with negative religious coping. Findings indicate that one way young Black women cope with dating violence victimization is through feelings of spiritual discontent, and they may see their victimization as a punishment from God.

Differences in Language Communication Between Chinese and American Cultures

With globalization advancing, intercultural communication has become frequent, making language crucial for cultural exchange. As influential countries, China and the United States exhibit significant cultural differences in their communication styles. Chinese culture values politeness and subtlety, often favoring indirect expression, while American culture emphasizes direct and clear communication. These differences extend to non-verbal communication as well. Understanding and respecting these differences is essential for enhancing cooperation in politics, economy, and education. This paper explores the main differences in language communication between Chinese and American cultures, analyzes the misunderstandings and conflicts these differences cause, and proposes improvement strategies. The goal is to provide insights for intercultural communication, education, and training to cultivate global talents and foster a harmonious international environment. The paper is divided into five parts: the first introduces the relationship between language and culture and the cultural backgrounds of China and the United States; the second analyzes cultural differences in language communication; the third explores misunderstandings and conflicts; the fourth proposes strategies for improving intercultural communication; and the fifth summarizes the findings and suggests future research directions.

Survival Politics and Sacrificial Transmediation: Liu Xiaobo and Signature Event Context

ABSTRACT This article interrogates the medial politics of 2010 Nobel Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo through a re-situation of Marc Abélès’s concept of “survival politics.” It understands Liu’s energetic self-representation in multiple media as an attempt to produce a usable Derridean signature, connections between texts and contexts that allow for cohesion inside endangered communities, as well as methods by which to contest dominant narratives. By reading Liu’s graduate thesis, “Aesthetics and Human Freedom,” alongside Derrida’s essay “Signature Event Context,” this article theorizes that minoritarian discourses that face erasure often choose vigorous transmedial production, self-sacrificially constraining their own freedoms in order to work toward the improbable appearance of signed texts. The article finishes by raising the possibility that the politics of authenticity and hypervisibility in contemporary African American intellectual culture are also interpretable through the lens of self-sacrificial hypermediation.

Priming “American carnage:” reality television and Donald J. Trump

ABSTRACT This essay uncovers how and why so many U.S. Americans so easily and so gleefully accepted the tenets of Donald J. Trump’s Make America Great Again (MAGA) platform by arguing that U.S. American culture was effectively primed for MAGA values through reality television (RTV) consumption. At a nexus of genres that include “man v. nature,” “redneck,” “dirty” job romanticization, and “copaganda,” RTV primed the U.S. for Trumpism by presenting audiences with a harsh, violent, and nostalgic view of reality in an altogether entertaining format. This essay positions three RTV programs—Ice Road Truckers, Swamp People, and Appalachian Outlaws—as useful heuristics in demonstrating how RTV further foregrounded MAGA values of white hegemony, hegemonic masculinity, carnivalesque violence, and nostalgia in American culture.

A Pathway to Positive Youth Development: Unpacking the Asian American Youth Paradox and Cultural Orientations among Filipino American and Korean American Youth.

This study used longitudinal survey data of Filipino American and Korean American youth in the Chicago Metropolitan area (N = 786, MAGE = 15.00, SD = 1.91 at Wave 1 in 2014) to examine whether and how a set of organized predictors (i.e., universal predictors of youth outcomes and cultural orientations) independently and collectively explains internalizing and externalizing problems and academic performance. The results were that universal predictors such as youth antisocial beliefs, peer antisocial behaviors, and the quality of parent-child relations, were extensively predictive of youth outcomes in the expected directions. The magnitudes of universal predictors were largely unchanged when bilinear and multidimensional cultural orientation variables were accounted for together. The magnitudes of cultural orientation variables were slightly attenuated in full models but showed independent associations with youth outcomes. Specifically, English and heritage language proficiencies were protective of externalizing and internalizing problems. Behavioral practices in respective cultures increased youth problems. In addition, ethnic identity, although beneficial to mental health, can increase externalizing problems. The findings of this study provide insights into understanding the mixed outcomes among Asian Americans and important empirical evidence that can inform intervention programs to prevent youth problems, ultimately toward a pathway to positive youth development among Asian American youth.

Hallyu Beyond the Age of American Cultural Imperialism: Counter Cultural Flows and Cultural Diplomacy

Hallyu Beyond the Age of American Cultural Imperialism: Counter Cultural Flows and Cultural Diplomacy

Trash and Limits in Latin American Culture. By Micah McKay

<i>Trash and Limits in Latin American Culture</i>. By Micah McKay