An Exploratory Study of Part-Time Minorities: Finding Home as a Minority Member

ABSTRACT

This study examines an atypical population of immigrants in Taiwan who immigrated in search of home, self-discovery, and career opportunities. Many of these immigrants sit at the nexus of privilege and othering with their ability to pass as Caucasian. Through the participatory method Photovoice and semi-structured interviews, I investigate the fluid nature of identity processes, the extent that acculturation hinges on predetermined factors, and the benefits and costs of biculturalism, which include cultural fusion and liminality. Additionally, I investigate the impact of context on acculturation strategies and the experience of transformation.

KEYWORDS:

• Acculturation
• intercultural identity
• Photovoice
• liminality
• Taiwan
• cultural fusion

Acknowledgment

The author would first and foremost like to thank all of the participants who took part in this study. She would also like to thank Dr. Judith Martin, Dr. Amira de la Garza, and Leslie Smith for their editing suggestions and support. Lastly, she could not have achieved the same level of clarity without guidance from Dr. David Carlson, Tim Wells, and Nicole Bowers.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1. I will regularly refer to the non-Taiwanese immigrants as expats, or expatriates, throughout this study, as it is their chosen self-appellation of the interviewees here as well as of the larger immigrant population of a certain socio-economic status in Taiwan. While the commonly accepted business definition of an expatriate carries a the connotation of those who temporarily stay in a country in which they do not have citizenship with plans to eventually return to their native country, the term also includes those who never intend to return to their home country. In Taiwan, those from Anglophone countries or countries in the Western hemisphere tend to claim expat identities, as many of the printed materials and services for expats are in English, and the term is difficult to translate in Asian languages due to its subtle distinction from the term “foreigner.” The sizeable population of Southeast Asian immigrants who arrive to perform lower level service jobs or home care do not lay claim to this appellation.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Lauren Mark

Lauren Mark is a certified Civil Dialogue Facilitator who holds an M.Ed in Educational Organization, Leadership and Policy, an M.A. in Dance, and a B.A. in English Literature and French. She is currently a doctoral student at Arizona State University’s Hugh Downs School of Human Communication. Before joining Hugh Downs, Lauren worked as a co-founder and project manager of two cross-cultural learning organizations in Taipei, Taiwan – Becoming, 緣創 an intercultural development platform, and the East-West Culture Project. Lauren has also worked as a translator and interpreter in Taiwan and in Israel across a variety of business and artistic sectors.

Rooted in her experiences in the field, Lauren’s research focuses on the intersection of ethnic, linguistic, rhythmic, and performative factors in acculturation and their alteration of personal ontologies. Lauren also explores ways of bringing embodied self-reflexivity and relationality to classroom contexts.