Challenges and Solutions for Bridging the Asian American Intergenerational Split

In many Asian countries, intergenerational outlook stems from the millennia-old philosophy of Confucianism. These values include respect for elders, filial piety, and strength through tradition. However, immigration can throw these connections into question, where language barriers, assimilation, and different values can create obstacles to intergenerational understanding.

The primary obstacle is that Asian-American students are forced to live a double-life, not sure whether they are fully American or fully of their ancestry. For example, as a child, I did not feel a strong connection to the Chinese language and put off learning it for quite a while. I knew friends who cast away their cultural names for more American-sounding ones in elementary school. This stems from societal pressures; many Asian-American children believe that they cannot be simultaneously Asian and American, that they are forced to choose one. In reality, this choice is artificial.

Regardless, older generations (which immigrated to the US) largely prefer their ancestral languages, while new generations (which were born here) lack fluency in said languages. This can harm their ability to develop mutual understanding with their grandparents. On a more serious note, numerous family histories and lessons are lost everyday due to this barrier in communication. In some of the interviews our organization conducted, seniors complained not only that they spent less time with their grandchildren now that they were in school, but that the children were slowly forgetting the ancestral language, and were now struggling to communicate with their grandparents.