Introduction
Asian Americans exhibit a strong cultural diversity that prevents scholars from characterizing their families using a single set of cultural values; however, they also share strong cultural similarities such as the Confucian philosophy towards life and family.
Scholars claim that this philosophy is a product of the early political and cultural influence of China in the historical development of other East Asian nations including Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and Vietnam.
The culture of these nations is highly influenced by the doctrines of Confucianism, which advocate for the respect for authority, loyalty to parents, emotional moderation, and the vital role of education. The Confucian philosophy uses the concepts of training (chiao shum) and control and love (guan) in the Chinese parenting practices, such that they are deeply involved in the lives of their children.
Such involvement in the learning process of their children has faced many challenges in the Asian American family, following their immigration. In addition, some Chinese practices such as physical discipline are not condoned in the United States.
This paper seeks to explore how Asian American families have succeeded in maintaining the Confucianism philosophy by identifying the existing Chinese cultural practices among the descendants of their immigrants, and Chinese mannerisms that point to the Confucianism doctrine. The paper also examines Confucianism in other Asian Americans including Koreans and Vietnamese.
Research questions
- How do immigration history of Asian Americans and experiences of living in America affect the ability of these families to maintain Confucianism?
- How do the Asian American families’ attitudes, values and beliefs concerning education and socioeconomic status impact on Confucianism?
Research objectives
- To find out the relation between immigration trends of Asians into America and their settlement experiences, and the ability of Asian American families to maintain their cultural practices, with focus on Confucianism.
- To find out the relation between legacies of Confucianism and the socioeconomic status of Asian American families with regard to educational attainment.
Demography of Asian Americans
Some of the countries of origin of Asian Americans include China, Japan, Korea, Cambodia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and India, among others. Each of these nations has its own cultural heritages, languages, political systems, religious practices, and economic conditions, which is reflected in the diverse ethnic differences among Asian Americans.
Confucianism has its origin in the Chinese society, where it served as one of the greatest humanistic cultures involving virtue teachings and rules of social reform.
These teachings then spread from China to other East Asia countries such as Singapore, Korea, Japan and Vietnam. This study will focus on the Chinese immigrants to America, and their current practices that ensure that Confucianism impacts both their lives and those of their children.
Background of Confucianism
Confucianism is the Western term used to refer to a moral cultivation practice known to Eastern Asians, including Chinese, Koreans, Japanese, and Vietnamese, as the “Scholarly Tradition”.
The neologism “Confucianism” was devised in the 19th century after a great Chinese sage known as Confucius, who introduced the concept of adhering to inherited rites diligently in order to fully awaken one’s humanity and in doing so, grasp the way of heaven. It was Confucius who came up with the notion that the perfection of that process was only possible after a “life-long dedication to meticulous study and self-cultivation”.
This was achieved by comprehension of the philosophical moral effects of daily relationships based on the interaction of an individual to both internal and external resources. The former was attained through self-cultivation, which involved the purification of one’s mind and heart in order to make the will sincere.
By achieving this state, an individual was believed to be capable of uniting one’s family and moderating the society, which was necessary to renew the human race. Conversely, helping one’s family, society, and the world to achieve total serenity would in turn, allow the individual’s virtue to rest in ideal integrity.
As such, Confucianism involves individual accomplishment through daily interactions as opposed to through the power of an inspirational deity, which makes it less of a religion and more of a system of humanistic ethics.
These religious implications were passed on through a set of teachings that were believed to have been written by Confucius. These texts included the Analects, Book of Mencius, Great Learning, and Doctrine of the Mean, and they were instrumental, for centuries, in shaping the religious, philosophical, and political discourse of China, as well as other East Asia nations including Korea and Japan.
However, the dominance of the Neo-Confucian in East Asia began to decrease in the nineteenth century, as the technological and military superiority of European powers began to rise steadily.
This led to a call by the Japanese and Koreans leadership for replacement of the Confucian educational system with a more empirical and practical based education system. This exercise was also evident in China, with its culmination in the abolishing of the traditional examination system and a call for renunciation of any loyalty to Confucian doctrines.
Confucianism in Asian American families
A majority of East Asian immigrants to America journeyed in the late 19th and 20th centuries, following the change in perception of the Confucian education system. Most of these immigrants were of the view that the Confucian system was not ideal for a modern life. As such, they worked as laborers in the new land, due to their minimal literary and political education.
Their disapproval of the Confucian doctrines led them to adjust their non-working hours to the worship of Buddha or Taoist images. The descendants of these immigrants had less exposure to the doctrines since they could not read Chinese. In addition, these descendants were of the opinion that the Confucian values were inapplicable in the American way of living.
However, not all Asian Americans shared this opinion of the traditional education system. For instance, the “members of the Confucius Center in Chicago and the Confucius Church in Stockton California” use various Scholarly values and symbols as reminders of their cultural heritage.
Such associations commemorate various Chinese holidays and sponsor classes that can inform young people about classical Chinese by studying the four books mentioned earlier.
The members of these associations also own cemeteries for organizing biannual outings that allow people to visit the graves of their recent ancestors; a Confucian tradition that symbolizes the expression of gratitude and adoration for the cumulative efforts that have made one’s life triumphs achievable.
Various activities such as taking care of the grave site, presenting offerings, and showing respect and humility to the grave memorial are just some of the obligations of those who uphold the Confucian tradition as a way to compensate one’s ancestors for the gift of an enlightened life.
The ability of Asian Americans to uphold such practices in a foreign land serves both a representative and an assuring purpose in that the East Asian culture heredity excels across both time and boundaries.
The Chinese Americans who still follow the Confucianism philosophy exert numerous guidelines and requirements on their children. For instance, the children are supposed to take care of various family duties including cleaning, cooking, and taking care of small children.
The Chinese parents do not control their children; on the contrary, they teach their children on how to live in unity with others. Such a practice is achieved by teaching the children to avoid emotional expression, which avoids shaming an individual, and thereby, preserving good health and positive relationships.
Methodology
This study will use a combination of qualitative research methods, in addition to the literature review on the Chinese Americans applications of the Confucianism philosophy. The research will be conducted in a sample population gathered from higher education institutions. The qualitative research methods that are applicable in this study are in-depth interviews and focus groups.
The former will be useful in identifying the personal histories of the Chinese Americans, and their experiences in America, as well as how this transformation has influenced the application of the Confucianism philosophy. Focus groups, on the other hand, will be useful in comparing the opinions of the Chinese Americans with regard to their family practices and Confucianism.
Conclusion
There is minimal literature on the maintenance of Confucian values in Asian American families; hence, the analysis of literature in combination with qualitative research methods.
As discussed earlier, appropriate sources of information on this topic can be attained by visiting the existing Confucius centers and churches within the U.S. More information can be gathered from Chinese American students in higher learning institutions. The study of people can reveal various Confucian values, without the individuals having necessarily gone through the Confucian education system.
Some of these values include high value for education, unselfish behavior, and value on the extended family. As such, interviews and direct interaction with Chinese Americans can help to reveal the existence of informal familial education to inculcate Confucian virtues, for individuals with minimal information regarding the Neo-Confucian curriculum.
Annotated Bibliography
Adler, Susan Matoba. International Encyclopedia of Marriage and Family: Asian-American Families. New York: Gale, Cengage Learning, 2006, pp. 74-78.
The author explores various family structures in traditional Asian-American families and the gender roles. He goes a step further to examine various religious and cultural values that apply to Asian immigrants, with focus on Korean Americans.
Anheier, Helmut K. Encyclopedia of Global Studies: Confucianism. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, 2012, pp. 266-269.
The author explores the doctrine of Ne0-Confucianism in the 20th and 21st centuries, and the popular support that it obtained, as well as various anti-Confucian movements.
Anqi, X., X. Xiaolin, L. Wenli, X. Yah, and L. Dalin. “Chinese Family Strengths and Resiliency.” Marriage & Family Review, 2007: 41(2), 143-164.
The authors provide an insight on familial education and the passage of the Confucianism philosophy from one generation to the next.
Berthrong, John. Contemporary American Religion: Confucianism. New York: Gale, Cengage Learning, 2006, pp. 146-148.
The author explains the Confucianism philosophy including its history and teachings. In addition, the author explores what it takes for the doctrine to flourish outside East Asia by examining Asians in Diaspora (Europe and North America).
Gall, Timothy L., and Jeneen Hobby. Worldmark Encyclopedia of Cultures and Daily Life: Korean Americans. Detroit: Gale, Cengage Learning, 2009, pp. 335-338.
The authors explore the current trend of Confucianism in East Asia, with focus on South Koreans in Asia, as well as Korean Americans.
Huang, Grace Hui-Chen, and Mary Gove. “Confucianism and Chinese Families: Values and Practices in Education.” International Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 2012: 2(3), 10-13.
The authors explore the origins of the Confucianism doctrine, and the significance of these teachings in the Chinese culture.
Hwang, K. K. Dao and the transformative power of Confucianism: A theory of East Asian modernization. Singapore: The Institute of East Asian Philosophies, 1993.
This book provides an insight on the effects of modernization on Confucianism in the East Asian countries.
Nai-Hua, Ko. Familism in Confucianism. Taiwan: Shu-Te University, 2004.
The book explores the education of virtues and ethics through the use of families following the disapproval of Confucianism teachings in the education system of East Asian countries.
Park, M., and C. Chesla. “Revisiting Confucianism as a conceptual framework for Asian family study.” Journal of Family Nursing, 2007: 13(3), 293-311.
The authors provide an analysis of the impact of Confucianism as a religion in ensuring virtuous and ethical growth of Asian children in America
Xie, Yu, and Kimberly Goyette. Asian Americans: A Demographic Portrait. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan, 2005.
The authors explore data relating to the immigration trend of various East Asian individuals and their experiences in America.