The making of a home in a foreign land: understanding the process of home-making among immigrant Chinese elders in the U.S.

ABSTRACT

This study discusses the interactions between social policies and aging experiences among immigrant Chinese elders in the U.S. Using a life course perspective, the authors analysed how personal, familial, and environmental factors collectively shaped older immigrants’ home-making experiences in a foreign land. Based on qualitative data from 21 in-depth qualitative interviews with older Chinese adults living in Atlanta, Georgia, this study revealed that older Chinese adults experienced a cultural shift after immigration – from an emphasis on inter-generational interdependence to the American value of independence. Favourable social policies and available ethnic-specific social services played a key role in this trans-cultural move to independence. Ethnic-specific social service organisations created a buffer zone that provided transnational social care for these seniors. Findings shed light on the interplay between personal actions, cultural values, and national policies in the lives of older Chinese immigrants in the U.S.

KEYWORDS:

• Home
• aging environment
• Chinese immigrant
• elders
• ethnic-specific services

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.