‘I became a Taiwanese after I left Taiwan’: identity shift among young immigrants in the United States

ABSTRACT

Migration and transnationalism studies use variables such as migration trajectory, length of stay, and ties with origin country to examine migrant identities. Research has also found that contrary to the prediction of assimilation theory, some well-adapted migrants activate their origin country identities. Using young Taiwanese immigrants who stayed in Taiwan for most of their lives and went to the United States as a case, this article examines the mechanisms of context- and event-driven identity shift. We argue that these young adult Taiwanese immigrants – most of whom are first-generation – find that they are situated in a context where they have to ‘choose’ and ‘perform’ an identity for everyday interaction. Negative experiences with Chinese immigrants and the realization of Taiwan’s marginality encouraged them to activate their homeland (Taiwan) identity. This article contributes to migration and identity literature by analysing the consequences (identity triggers and shifts) of everyday encounters and events in an immigration setting.

KEYWORDS:

• Assimilation
• context-driven identity
• event-driven identity
• Taiwanese immigrants
• China
• transnationalism

Acknowledgments

The authors thank Thung-Hong Lin for sharing the survey data, RS Wei for helping with the interview contact, and Chun-hao Huang for research assistance.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Taiwan’s Ministry of Science and Technology [grant 110-2410-H-002-231-MY2].