American Heritage Research Articles

Celeste Ng in Conversation with Maxine Hong Kingston: Intergenerational Trauma and the Asian American Experience in Everything I Never Told You.

This paper delves into the representation of intergenerational trauma within Asian American literature, focusing on Celeste Ng’s Everything I Never Told You, Maxine Hong Kingston’s The Woman Warrior, and the critiques by Viet Thanh Nguyen. Ng’s work is analyzed for its nuanced portrayal of trauma as an intrinsic part of the Asian American experience, distinguishing it from earlier works that, as Nguyen argues, tend to conform to the “model minority” stereotype. The paper examines Ng’s sensitive unpacking of trauma, particularly its non-punctual, systemic nature, and its intergenerational transmission, especially in parent-child relationships. Additionally, it contrasts Ng’s approach with Kingston’s, exploring how trauma in The Woman Warrior is masked by cultural reinterpretation and the desire to please dominant Western narratives. By employing the theories of Cathy Caruth, Naomi Mandel, and Greg Forter, the essay argues that Ng repositions trauma as a core theme in Asian American literature, filling a significant gap left by previous works and redefining the narrative of Asian American identity and heritage.

Differential prediction performance between Caribbean- and Mainland-subgroups using state-of-the-art polygenic risk scores for coronary heart disease: Findings from the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL).

Coronary heart disease (CHD) is a leading cause of death for Hispanic/Latino populations in the United States. We evaluated polygenic risk scores (PRS) with incident myocardial infarction (MI) in a Hispanic/Latino study sample. We leveraged data from the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL) to assess four CHD-PRS from the PGS catalog, derived using multiple methods (LDpred, AnnoPred, stacked clumping and thresholding, and LDPred2). We evaluated associations between each standardized PRS and time to adjudicated incident MI, adjusted for age, sex, first 5 principal components, and weighted for survey design. Concordance statistics (c-index) compared predictive accuracy of each PRS with, and in addition to, traditional risk factors (TRF) for CHD (obesity, hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, diabetes, and smoking). Analyses were stratified by self-reported Caribbean- (Puerto Rican, Dominican or Cuban) and Mainland- (those of Mexican, Central American, or South American) heritage subgroups. After 11 years follow-up, for 9055 participants (mean age (SD) 47.6(13.1), 62.2% female), the incidence of MI was 1.0% (n = 95). Each PRS was more strongly associated with MI among Mainland participants. LDPred2 + TRF performed best among the Mainland subgroup; HR=2.69, 95% CI [1.71, 4.20], c-index = 0.897, 95% CI [0.848, 0.946]; a modest increase over TRF alone, c-index = 0.880, 95% CI [0.827, 0.933]. AnnoPred + TRF performed best among the Caribbean sample; c-index = 0.721, 95% CI [0.647, 0.795]; however, was not significantly associated with rate of MI (HR=1.14, 95% CI [0.82, 1.60]). PRS performance for CHD is lacking for Hispanics/Latinos of Caribbean origin who have substantial proportions of African genetic ancestry, risking increased health disparities. AnnoPred, using functional annotations, outperformed other PRS in the Caribbean subgroup, suggesting a potential strategy for PRS construction in diverse populations. These results underscore the need to optimize cumulative genetic risk prediction of CHD in diverse Hispanic/Latino populations.

Guest Commentary : Bringing Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage into Vernacular Architecture Studies

Guest Commentary : Bringing Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage into Vernacular Architecture Studies

Society, Suspicion, and the Supernatural: The Factors Behind the Salem Witch Trials

The Salem witch trials of 1692-1693 evolved out of the factors of religious fanaticism controlling Massachusetts society, patriarchal constructs that negatively impacted the views of and the actions of women, white North American constructs of race and ethnicity, interpersonal and societal tensions, and the aftermath of King Philip’s War. Religious domination of Salem life espoused conformity, the supernatural as an explanation for negative events, and the dangers of secularism. Samuel Parris played upon these factors of the Puritan religion, along with the tensions between Salem Village and Salem Town, to spur the start of the witch trials, as he was personally affected by a supernatural bewitching. Puritan women, whether afflicted or accused, were subject to extreme notions of conformity and religious doctrine that maintained the inherent sinfulness of women but found avenues of power through accusing others of witchcraft or behaving as an afflicted. Parris’ slave, Tituba, represents the racial and ethnic outsider, whose Native American heritage cast her as the propagator of Salem’s demonic activity, but who was able to find power by upending the racial hierarchy the community had created. Economic tensions between Salem Town and Salem Village were highlighted in the witchcraft accusations and were exacerbated by religious differences and climate conditions. King Philip’s War impacted Salem’s concepts of Native Americans as demonic witches, highlighted the existence of religious enemies, diminished the authority of government, and increased Puritan awareness of sin.

Leveraging historical hospitality in the national parks: Fred Harvey, Mary Colter, and the heritage of the American Southwest

ABSTRACT This conceptual paper examines the Fred Harvey Company, a key entity that helped develop tourism at Southwestern national parks, in particular Grand Canyon National Park and Petrified Forest National Park. The article describes some of the influences of this organization on the image of tourism in the Southwest, from the thematic design of spaces to the commercializing of Native American cultural heritage. After examining these impacts, the contemporary state of interpretation in these national parks is highlighted. Drawing on not only the natural and cultural resources of the region, organizations such as the National Park Service or Xanterra Travel Collection employ the historical hospitality foundations of the sites to create a multi-layered image of the national park as well as connect to tourist identities.

A mixed meal tolerance test predicts onset of type 2 diabetes in Southwestern Indigenous adults

Background/ObjectiveTo identify predictors of incident type 2 diabetes using a mixed meal tolerance test (MMTT).MethodsAdult Indigenous Americans without diabetes (n = 501) from a longitudinal cohort underwent at baseline a 4-h MMTT, measures of body composition, an oral glucose tolerance test, an intravenous glucose tolerance test for acute insulin response (AIR), and a hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp for insulin action (M). Plasma glucose responses from the MMTT were quantified by the total and incremental area under the curve (AUC/iAUC).ResultsAt follow-up (median time 9.6 [inter-quartile range: 5.6–13.5] years), 169 participants were diagnosed with diabetes. Unadjusted Cox proportional hazards models, glucose AUC180-min (HR: 1.98, 95% CI: 1.67, 2.34, p < 0.0001), AUC240-min (HR: 1.93, 95% CI: 1.62, 2.31, p < 0.0001), and iAUC180-min (HR: 1.43, 95% CI: 1.20, 1.71, p < 0.0001) were associated with an increased risk of diabetes. After adjustment for covariates (age, sex, body fat percentage, M, AIR, Indigenous American heritage) in three subsequent models, AUC180-min (HR: 1.44, 95% CI: 1.10, 1.88, p = 0.007) and AUC240-min (HR: 1.41, 95% CI: 1.09, 1.84, p < 0.01) remained associated with increased risk of diabetes.ConclusionsGlucose responses to a mixed meal predicted the development of type 2 diabetes. This indicates that a mixed nutritional challenge provides important information on disease risk.Clinical Trial RegistryClinicalTrials.gov identifier : NCT00340132, NCT00339482

Americana Foundation's American Heritage Grants

Americana Foundation's American Heritage Grants

Identification of Priorities for Colorectal Cancer Screening Interventions Among US Hispanic/Latino Populations.

Objectives. To identify nationwide census tract‒level areas where improving colorectal cancer (CRC) screening uptake via targeted local preventive intervention may benefit Hispanic or Latino/a (H/L) groups defined by region or country of origin. Methods. Using 2021 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention PLACES and American Community Survey data, we applied geographically weighted regression and Getis-Ord Gi* hot spot procedures to identify CRC screening priority zones for H/L groups in the United States. Priority zones can be conceptualized as census tracts with strong inverse associations between percentage of a particular H/L group in the population and CRC screening rate, after adjusting for socioeconomic deprivation and lack of insurance. Results. We identified 6519, 3477, 3522, 1069, and 1424 census tract CRC screening priority zones for H/L communities of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Central/South American, Dominican, and Cuban heritage, respectively. Priority zones for H/L groups had strong spatial heterogeneity, and overlap of geographic patterns among H/L groups varied by region. Conclusions. Our findings and interactive web map may serve as a translational tool for public health authorities, policymakers, clinicians, and other stakeholders to target investment and interventions to increase guideline-concordant CRC screening uptake benefitting specific H/L communities in the United States. (Am J Public Health. 2024;114(S6):S515-S524. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2024.307733) [Formula: see text].

African American heritage space: The plight to build a home for history

AbstractWith one African American museum in the county, many heritage organizations have attempted to build a museum to house artifacts and present community narratives for years. This commentary describes heritage organizations' efforts to establish a museum in a South Florida city.

Perspective: Beyond the Mediterranean Diet—Exploring Latin American, Asian, and African Heritage Diets as Cultural Models of Healthy Eating

The Mediterranean diet is a well-studied cultural model of healthy eating, yet research on healthy models from other cultures and cuisines has been limited. This perspective article summarizes the components of traditional Latin American, Asian, and African heritage diets, their association with diet quality and markers of health, and implications for nutrition programs and policy. Though these diets differ in specific foods and flavors, we present a common thread that emphasizes healthful plant foods and that is consistent with high dietary quality and low rates of major causes of disability and deaths. In this perspective, we propose that nutrition interventions that incorporate these cultural models of healthy eating show promise, though further research is needed to determine health outcomes and best practices for implementation.

Abstract C107: Use of spatial transcriptomics to identify molecular features associated with African American heritage in pancreatic cancer

Abstract Pancreatic cancer is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the US, with a 5-year survival rate of 12%. Black or African American patients (BAA) have a 20% higher incidence of pancreatic cancer, and recent studies suggest that there are biological factors that may influence this disparity, in addition to complex socioeconomic factors. Pancreatic tumors are highly enriched with stroma and exhibit significant inter- and intra-patient morphological and molecular heterogeneity. To improve the care for all patients, we need to better understand the disease mechanisms by comprehensively mapping different spatial locations within individual patients’ tumors and determining whether there are common patterns of pathogenesis across diverse patient populations. In this study, we utilized the 10X Visium spatial transcriptomics platform on eight treatment-naïve primary pancreatic tumors. We tested multiple published bioinformatic packages, including SpatialDE, SPARK-X, Spatial PCA, and Cottrazm, and optimized a multi-sample integrated analysis pipeline that allows us to automatically segment tumor lesions, infer major cell types in regions of interest on tissues, detect spatially variant genes, and assess associations between tissue morphological phenotypes and transcriptomic features. Importantly, our study cohort includes four White patients and four BAA patients. Through the comparison of spatial transcriptomes between White and BAA patients, we identified several genes displaying differential expression in tumor lesions of distinct racial groups, including Trefoil Factor 1 (TFF1) and CYP3A5. These genes present potential candidates for further investigation to elucidate the biological mechanisms underlying racial disparities in pancreatic cancer. Citation Format: Yuesong Wu, Aoqi Xie, Ian Loveless, Madison George, Kendyll Gartrelle, Julie Clark, Daniel Salas-Escabillas, Rupen Shah, David Kwon, Ralph Francescone, Débora B. Vendramini Costa, Howard Crawford, Brian Theisen, Yuehua Cui, Ling Huang, Nina G. Steele. Use of spatial transcriptomics to identify molecular features associated with African American heritage in pancreatic cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference in Cancer Research: Pancreatic Cancer; 2023 Sep 27-30; Boston, Massachusetts. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(2 Suppl):Abstract nr C107.

Comparative analysis of gendered frames in far-right rhetoric in the West

ABSTRACT This research delves into the examination of gender frames within a number of far-right platforms, such as American Renaissance, Heritage and Destiny, Britain First, Daily Stormer, and Front Page Magazine. Our primary objective is to dissect the construction of gendered frames and their consequential roles within the broader far-right political and ideological landscapes in the West. Employing a mixed-method approach, we scrutinize English language material from the aforementioned online platforms. This study argues that despite differences among these platforms, the representations of women’s roles and identities are consistently shaped and moulded in alignment with overarching political and ideological perspectives such as racism, Islamophobia, antisemitism, anti-immigration, anti-feminism, anti-left, and anti-media. These perspectives serve as amplifiers, further contributing gendered frames. Ultimately, this dynamic process of constructing gendered frames contributes to the development of far-right identities, drawing distinct demarcation lines between ‘us’ and ‘them’.

The Art of Localization: Exploring Native American Heritage and Identity in Christine Day's Fiction

The Art of Localization: Exploring Native American Heritage and Identity in Christine Day's Fiction

Remote enculturation among Black immigrant adolescents in the United States

Remote enculturation (RE), the process of engaging with one's heritage culture through indirect and/or intermittent exposure, could strengthen heritage culture identity and promote adaptation among immigrant-origin youth. This study used mixed methods to describe RE activities and their associations with positive adaptation among Black adolescents with Somali American and Jamaican American heritage (n = 89; ages 11–18). Common RE activities included preparing heritage culture foods (98%) and participating in traditions (92%). Accounting for covariates, more frequent RE was associated with higher heritage culture identity, school grades, parent-child engagement, and daily fruit and vegetable consumption. Content analysis of open-ended responses describing RE's personal impact revealed themes of connection to family and place, cultural identity (dis)connection, learning the heritage culture, and emotions. Overall, adolescents from two different cultural and immigration backgrounds frequently practiced RE activities and perceived them to be personally impactful, highlighting potential applications of RE to support resilience.

African American Heritage and Legacy: Implications on the Current Armed Forces

African American Heritage and Legacy: Implications on the Current Armed Forces

‘Hidden in My lunch box’: Chinese American heritage language learners’ racialized and embodied identities

Pairing affect theory with raciolinguistic perspectives, this study examines the racialized and embodied identities of second-generation Chinese American heritage language learners. Drawing on the data collected through in-depth interviews, the study observes that second-generation Chinese Americans’ affective experiences, such as their racialized and embodied encounters with food, fashion, accent, and physical appearance, play a crucial role in shaping their identities. These individuals reported a mix of both heritage and American identities, which stemmed from their embodied exposure to languages and cultures. While they originally felt pressured to assimilate to the dominant culture, the Chinese American individuals reported that their heritage identities evolved over time as they began to counter raciolinguistic ideologies through reflecting on their embodied and racialized experience. This study raises a number of pedagogical issues regarding second-generation heritage language learners and discusses ways to develop antiracist pedagogy in the context of heritage language education.

Innate immune response to double-stranded RNA in American heritage chicken breeds

Backyard poultry flocks that employ heritage breeds of chicken play a crucial role in the maintenance of poultry pathogens of economic and zoonotic importance. This study examined innate immunity to viral pathogens in heritage chicken breeds using a model of viral double-stranded RNA (dsRNA). Following intraperitoneal injection of high molecular weight (HMW) -poly(I:C)/Lyovec into 4-wk-old chicks, we evaluated gene expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and splenocytes. There was a significant difference across breeds in the expression of IL-4, IL-12p40, IFNγ, and B-cell activating factor (BAFF) in the spleen. In PBMCs, a significant difference in IFN-α expression was seen across breeds. Approximately 57% of IFN-α transcripts in PBMCs was explained by levels of expression of MDA5 transcripts. Using flow cytometry, we showed that only monocytes/macrophages (KUL01+ cells) expressed the scavenger receptor CD163. Regression analysis showed that 42% of fold change in CD163 expression on PBMCs was explained by breed (P < 0.0004). In general, breeds that responded to HMW-poly(I:C) by showing higher upregulation of IFNγ, IL-1β, and IL-12p40 transcripts in the spleen, and higher IFNα transcripts in peripheral blood, expressed less CD163 on blood monocytes. These findings suggest a genetic basis for the response of chickens to double-stranded RNA. Surface expression of the scavenger receptor CD163 in PBMCs following injection of high molecular weight poly(I:C) may be a rapid method to select chickens for breeding based on innate immune response to viral dsRNA.

Remembering the Cotton Screwmen: Inter-racial Waterfront Labor and the Development of Sailors’ Chanties

AbstractThe prevailing white racial frame surrounding discourse on the sailor work songs called chanties (popularly, “sea shanties”) means that discussions tend to ignore or minimize these songs’ African American heritage. Articulating revised and more just historical narratives of chanties is additionally challenged by the normative approach of setting discussions within the spatial frame of the sea. We may overcome these challenges by recentering the frame of discussion on an adjacently situated space of shoreside labor and its actors, cotton screwmen. Throughout the nineteenth century, the United States’ cotton export trade depended upon screwmen's work of stowing cotton bales aboard ships in port. Although all screwmen were Black men during the profession's formative period, by mid-century, white men had joined the profession in complementary proportion. This created an unusual case, not only of both racial groups performing the same labor but also of white men entering and accommodating to an already-established “Black” labor environment. Importantly, from the advent of their profession, screwmen practiced singing to coordinate their labor. I argue that white sailors who came to work seasonally as screwmen were compelled to acculturate to existing African American work singing, and thus acquired the material and conceptual bases to develop the shipboard work songs best remembered as “chanties.” As the first ever sustained exposition of screwmen's forgotten singing, this essay contests both popular narratives’ granting of exclusive agency to white seafaring and academic discussions that tokenize African American heritage as an “influence” rather than the chanty genre's foundation.

Digital Cultural Heritage

Session 1: Preserving Memories during the Wartime: Ukraine&#x0D; Ulia Gosart, Assistant Professor, School of Information, San Jose State University&#x0D; The first session focuses on pedagogical strategies supportive of utilizing and preserving Digital Cultural Heritage. Presented in a case study manner, the panel connects experiences of digital preservation with development of relevant curricula. The case studies include preserving memories during wartime in Ukraine; African American cultural heritage in the southwest of the US; conserving traditional knowledge (TK) and indigenous knowledge (IK) within Indigenous communities in Western Pacific. Each Case can lead to innovative pedagogy possibilities be they emerging as components of traditional educational programs; or exist as elements of innovative teaching centers, and/or growing interdisciplinary collaborations.&#x0D; &#x0D; Session 2: African American Digital Cultural Heritage through the San Antonio Public Library&#x0D; DL Grant jr, Carver Library Branch Manager, San Antonio, TX&#x0D; Libraries now transcend more traditional services and resources offering informal gatherings and community events that uniquely uplift the various communities they serve. History harvests, as they are sometimes known, celebrate the cultural heritage of the users leading to preservation of archival matter via digitization. This San Antonio based case study touches on two such services: 1) oral history events that weave stories of the past and document as well as entertain; and 2) a funeral program collection gone digital, making researching African American cultural heritage easier to research. With so much as a cellphone phone one can connect to electronic representations that document families, communities, rituals, institutions and genealogy, to name a few. These library programs encourage donations and help to ensure survivability of cultural heritage.&#x0D; &#x0D; Session 3: Digital Cultural Heritage and Our Existential Threat&#x0D; Cecilia Salvatore: Professor, School of Information Studies, Dominican University&#x0D; In communities where their existence is threatened by global climate change, the need for a digital cultural heritage repository is stark and poignant. For example, the small island nations in the Western Pacific, which are responsible for only 0.03% of global greenhouse gas emissions, and yet they are disproportionally facing many of the threats of climate change head on. The communities on these islands are not simply passive towards what’s going on. They want to be equipped with the resources to tackle climate change. And they know that their own traditional knowledge and indigenous knowledge, which has been passed on for hundreds of years, is the most critical resource. The presenter describes TK/IK in the Pacific Islands, some current practices for preserving this knowledge, and the role of digital cultural heritage tools and methodologies.

Chinese Families’ Pursuit of Confucian Learning Beliefs through Overseas Education: Rethinking Learning Cultures in Cross-Cultural Research

Aim. The aim of the article is to understand how Chinese parents draw on their learning beliefs and experiences within the Chinese educational context to make decisions about their children’s overseas education, as well as analysing how their learning beliefs are similar or different from East Asian or Western learning beliefs. Methods. The study is based on more than 100 in-depth separate interviews with 22 Chinese families conducted over serval years between 2016 and 2019. Based on interpretative phenomenological analysis and discourse analysis, the results are coded according to the theory of values proposed by Clyde Kluckhohn (1951). These learning values are further coded according to whether they are reflective of the American learning model (EALM), Confucian learning model (CLM), and Confucian learning philosophies. Results. The analysis shows that Chinese parents have displayed similar learning beliefs in socialising their children in the family domain, in their disapproval of the Chinese education system, and in their pursuit of a Western overseas education. The Chinese families’ pursuit of a Western education for their children are driven by their cultural leaning beliefs, which are rooted in Confucian heritage culture, and which also echo European American heritage cultures. Conclusion. Many researchers tend to emphasise cultural differences in learning, particularly between Confucian heritage and European American heritage cultures. This paper shows the possibilities of cultural learning values shaping educational choices, expands upon the understanding of Confucian heritage culture, and suggests the similarities between the learning cultures of East Asia and the West.