Khmer American

by Smith-Hefner, Nancy Joan

• ISBN13: 9780520213494
• ISBN10: 0520213491
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1999-01-01
• Publisher: Univ of California Pr

Summary

In the early 1980s, tens of thousands of Cambodian refugees fled their war-torn country to take up residence in the United States, where they quickly became one of the most troubled and least studied immigrant groups. This book is the story of that passage, and of the efforts of Khmer Americans to recreate the fabric of culture and identity in the aftermath of the Khmer holocaust. Based on long-term research among Cambodians residing in metropolitan Boston, this rich ethnography provides a vivid portrait of the challenges facing Khmer American culture as seen from the perspective of elders attempting to preserve Khmer Buddhism in a deeply unfamiliar world. The study highlights the tensions and ambivalences of Khmer socialization, with particular emphasis on Khmer conceptions of personhood, morality, and sexuality. Nancy J. Smith-Hefner considers how this cultural heritage influences the performance of Khmer children in American schools and, ultimately, determines Khmer engagement with American culture.

Table of Contents

Preface	ix
Acknowledgments	xvii
A Note on Transition	xix
Identity and Transition	1	(20)
To Be Khmer Is to Be Buddhist	21	(43)
Early Socialization: Observing the Child	64	(30)
Moral Education: The Child within the Family	94	(29)
Schooling in America	123	(28)
Sexuality and Marriage	151	(36)
The Search for the Middle Path	187	(22)
Notes	209	(10)
References	219	(12)
Index	231