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“British born Chinese’s Identity in postmodernism”

In the globalised world today, there are many people are living in the different countries and cultures. What does it mean for their identity, what is their nationality? In this essay, I would like to discuss the affected of living in Britain for British born Chinese people, especially what is the affected on their identity or their set of identities? Do their feel more attracted to the country they are living in Britain? Or do they feel more strongly attracted to their parents’ country or their heritage? Firstly I would like to discuss the theory of globalisation, culture and Identity and then I would like to use the case study of two British born Chinese people to take an example.
In the history of the world, there are many transitions of human being: the global movement of people has happened over thousands of years. However, in more recent years, globalisation has become a phenomenon, immigration of people is increasing unprecedentedly.
The movement of people in globlaisation affected Indigenous culture, no longer indigenous culture in postmodernism, the deconstruction of traditional culture and construction of new culture, living in the hybrid environment and living in symbol of imagination of each cultures. According to Anderson (1996,10). state that:
‘No styles dominate. Instead we have endless improvisation and variations on themes; parody and playfulness. Postmodern architect is unabashedly eclectic and calls attention to it. People everywhere similarly combine traditions, borrow rituals and myths. All the world’s cultural symbols are now in the public domain, and Santa Claus is on the cross’
No more indigenous cultures, the rapid communication makes cultural have been mixed up together and the traditional culture has influenced each other’s become multi and cross culture. For example, while young Chinese students are having English breakfast, on the other side of world, English family might having dinner together at Chinese restaurant in Shanghai. Thus, there is no more cultural boundary in postmodernism.
As well as of the theory of transition and culture in postmodernism, it is also important to consider the theory of identity in postmodernism and these will be discussing in the next section.
In the post-modern world, the identity also have influenced in postmodernism. The movement of people destroyed the boundary of cultures, and identity, so multi-cultures or mixed- identity appeared, According to theory of identity in the four corners of the post modern world of Anderson.(1996,10) state that;
‘Instead of forming our idea of who and what we are on the basic of the “found” identity fixed by social role or tradition, we begin to understand ourselves in terms of the “made” identity that is constructed (and frequently reconstructed) out of many cultural sources’
It could be argued how we become a person, where is our personality comes from and who are we being. Children were obviously born with identity, they can identify who they are such as, Asian, Indian, black boy or girl. But in this terms, it’s doesn’t mean the identification was born with them, people will learn, imitate, and identify their personality follow by their experience and environment. Following by Dunn reported that the identity determined by birth or inner life experience. But on the others hand, the external experience is sourced of identification (1998:3). The personal Identification is reflected by their culture, social affected identification, determination and forming of idea. The individual personality will have relationship between group and community, a people will address and form their identification, idea, sex and gender reflected by their culture experience. For instance, if Chinese children live in western society it might make them thought there are westerner. Thus, the external experienced can defined children personality as environment their lives.
Moreover, in terms of identity in postmodernism, we should consider the theory of genealogy. Genealogy is used for distinguishing between groups of relative people. As Shpairo referred to Michel Foucault’s Genealogy that ‘Genealogy is the connection of difference of association that no reason to cut all system (1990, p41). In Foucault’s theory, the relationship of each people in Genealogy system will interactive effectively, we could not separate each one. For instance, Mr. A have father, mother and Grandparents, then Mr A married with Mrs. B and have a child is Mr C, which Mr C might married with Mrs D. So, the relationship of each other could not divided, if we cut Mrs. B, Mr C might not appeared and no more married with Mrs. D.
According to both of Foucault’s Genealogy, one is aim to the interactive of each people. The strong point of Foucault’s theorycan referred and analysis to the Both British born Chinese in next section.
In this section, I will use the theory of transition in globalisation and identity to explain or analysis the cause of British born Chinese that I have researched last year. In terms of the movement of people in the postmodern world, Cheng’s brothers are related to this theory directly because their origin emigrated from china, as the theory of Arjun state that globalisation fluid in everywhere and many countries now are combine multi-nationality and multi-culture (1996, p.33). we could say that Cheng’s brothers are multi-nationality in Britain, which is a part globalisation world.
A British born Chinese, Anthony Cheng was born in 1988 in London, graduated from senior high school of Westminster-Kingsway college in 2007 and then became a chef at “Sino Thai” restaurant. Anthony was more experience in the Chinese culture with their parents and grand parents. According to the interview with their mother (see index), Anthony was treated in the Chinese traditional and reminded in Chinesness as speak Chinese with their family, having dinner with their parents and grand parents, do more sophisticated with elder people. So following by Dunn’s theory as mention before, Anthony’s identification is reflected by their Chinese culture and social, his determination and forming of Chinese idea when he was a child with reflected from their personal experience. Moreover, the Chinese genealogy system also have influenced with Anthony’s personality, referred to the Foucault’s theory as the interactive with each others with their parents and grandparent. Therefore, Anthony’s experience is familiar with Chinese culture, he reflected and interplayed with their environment as he is living in Chineseness as working in the Chinese restaurant.
On the other hand, Andrew Cheng (Anthony’s younger brother) was familiar with British culture, he born in 1990 in London, graduated from senior high school of Westminster-Kingsway college in 2009. He is studying in Engineering at the University of Leicester. Andrew’s experienced difference with his older brother. According to the interview with their mother (see index), Andrew was treated in the western culture style as studying in a Boarding school, his personal experience more close with multi nationality friend than his family. Furthermore, as referred by Dunn’s theory mention before, his external experience is sourced of his environment experienced as multi-nationality friend (westerner, Black and others ethnic). So Andrew set his identification and forming his idea as British people.
In addition, In Chinese culture, is called “Guanxi” or connection. Gannon (2001, p 430) gives an explanation of this culture that “ the lifeblood of a Chinese company is “Guanxi”. Penetrating the layers of “Guanxi” is like peeling an onion. First come connections between people and ancestors; then between people from the same village; the between member of family and closed associates who can trusted, such as the competent executives who are not family members but who actually run the factories. ethnic group
On the other hand, Andrew is the opposite. He is more like a British. Jeanne Tsai discusses some cultural differences between ‘westerners’ and ‘Asians’ concerning the ding of emotion Goleman,D (2003). She argues that the greater individualism of westerners leads them to perform emotions somewhat differently than would be the case in Asian cultures. For example, in the case of Andrew, he doesn’t meet his family quite often, but he just enjoys with his friends and wants to have his own business in the future.
Today. The post-modern has influenced in everywhere as the movement of people, globalisation, mixed-culture and identity. The British born Chinese is a partial of postmodernism with their identity and nationality. Their experienced in postmodernism has affected for their personality and identification directly, Anthony feel more strongly attracted to his parents’ country or their heritage culture due to the experienced with his Chinese culture experience. On the other hand, Andrew feel more powerfully attracted to his country he’s living in Britain, because he experienced with boarding school and more close with his friend. So, their set with their identities reflected by their environment experienced and set the identification that who they are.