Category: Papers

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Defining the Hong Kong Canadian

In our present time, we now see the birth of a new “Hong Kong Canadian” identity from the ashes of a now-dead Cantonese-dominated “Chinese Canadian” identity.

Creator:
Aidan Lai 黎至正 (he/him)

One of the most elusive acts we can do as diaspora is defining our cultural identity – we have to look backwards into history and around us in the present to figure out the numerous alternatives from which we can choose. And when many alternatives are inherently political and controversial, deciding on alternatives becomes extremely problematic and difficult. In the case of Aidan’s work, he takes this problem to another level by proposing a future-oriented perspective of cultural identity. In thinking about what is a “Hong Kong Canadian,” we can look to the migration history of people from Hong Kong to Canada. We can also see how the current group of Hong Kong migrants have shaped the existing definition of Hong Kong Canadians. How can we think about a new and future definition of Hong Kong Canadians by thinking about who future generations of Hong Kong migrants will be, and what the future generations of Hong Kong migrants will be like?

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Recon”Net”ting

These forms…not only bridge geographical distance…but [act] as archival sites for deeper historical education.

Creator:
Tiffany Yau 丘苑婷 (she/her)

When considering diasporic studies, it isn’t enough that we consider first generation diaspora – second generation+ diaspora are a significant and oft-overlooked part of the population (both in terms of media representation consideration, and in academic interest). While cultural identity formation and maintenance is (relatively more) straightforward for first generation diaspora, second generation+ diaspora tend to have more trouble and confusion in this arena. By having their existence and experiences ignored by mainstream media, they feel that the mainstream culture has invisibilized them, affecting their self-regard and feelings of belonging. At the same time, they might also have trouble connecting with their heritage culture due to lack of access to heritage cultural products (e.g. pop culture, heritage media). Tiffany breaks down how improving cultural representation and diversity in mainstream media has helped bridge some gaps between multigenerational diaspora and the mainstream culture, and how the internet (replete with its convenient access of heritage cultural media from “back home”) has been a boon for these same diaspora trying to connect with their heritage culture. What avenues do you go through to connect with your culture?

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Reimagined: Chinese Weekend School

How can we restructure weekend Chinese school so that it will allow the students to develop, gain, and maintain Cantonese proficiency?

Creator:
Emily Huynh 黄愛怡 (she/her)

For those who had to give up 3 hours of their Saturdays as children so they can be sent over to school and learn a Sinitic language (likely Cantonese, Mandarin, or both), the vast majority will report how much they hated it because they were stuck in a classroom while their friends were sleeping, playing, watching movies, hanging out, doing anything other than being in school after already having spent 5 days at school earlier in the week. It also doesn’t help that these schools follow a highly rigid educational format based heavily on memorization and dictation, with little concern for learners’ experience and whether or not those traditional educational styles are suitable for diasporic children. At the same time, many diasporic adults also report that they either are thankful for having retained their heritage language, or wish that they had been better able to retain their heritage language. This highlights the importance of heritage language proficiency retention among diasporic speakers, and the need to reconcile this need with the pragmatic challenges of diasporic childhood language education. Emily presents a series of learning plans, supported by academic sources, to try to make the Cantonese-learning experience much more enjoyable than the current traditional approach. If you were a child learning Cantonese, would you have found this helpful?

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