Journal of East Asian Cultures

Vol. 13 No. 1 (2021): Community Building: Family and Nation, Tradition and Innovation
Articles

The Role of Family in the Construction of Traditions among Second-Generation Chinese Immigrants in Hungary

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  • Eszter Knyihár,
  • Gergely Salát
Eszter Knyihár
Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE)
Bio
Gergely Salát
Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE) / Pázmány Péter Catholic University
Bio
DOI: https://doi.org/10.38144/TKT.2021.1.13

Published 2021-12-15

Keywords

  • second generation Chinese immigrants,
  • multicultural identity,
  • family,
  • tradition

How to Cite

Knyihár, E., & Salát, G. (2021). The Role of Family in the Construction of Traditions among Second-Generation Chinese Immigrants in Hungary. Journal of East Asian Cultures, 13(1), 213–230. https://doi.org/10.38144/TKT.2021.1.13

Copyright (c) 2021 the author(s)

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

Abstract

Previous research conducted in Hungary has shown that second generation Chinese immigrants construct a complex, multicultural identity which contains elements from the cultural environment created by the host society, the migrant diaspora, the family of the migrant and the country of origin as well. This paper presents the findings of an interview-based research project conducted in Hungary with the involvement of 20 second-generation Chinese immigrants and seeks to examine the complexity of their cultural identity, focussing especially the role of the family in the construction of traditions. According to our findings we argue that in the family setting, there is constant negotiation between generations regarding norms and traditions, which reveal different priorities. In this article I show that those areas where the most negotiations occur also overlap with the fields of increased parental interest and control, namely: education, dating/marriage, and language. I also discuss how holidays celebrated by the family show a high degree of flexibility and mixed solutions, involving cultural elements from both the host society and the country of origin.

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