Abstract
This autoethnography focuses on the author’s experiences as a second-generation Filipina/Thai American while growing up with other multi-generational immigrant families in a white suburb. Although she and her friends’ families were from different countries of origin, they bonded over shared experiences of living with multi-generations in the household, their families’ attitudes toward assimilation and acculturation, their struggles being tokenized and marginalized, as well as a lack of representation in television, film, and mainstream music. The author reflects on the impact of these limited representations—including conflicting feelings of shame and validation—while navigating racialization and exclusion. The chapter contributes to the volume by addressing how second-generation Americans understood their assimilation to white American culture and the symbolism of first- and second-generation narratives in media.
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Nititham, D.S. (2021). Between a Banana and a Coconut: Reflections on Being Second-Generation American on the Periphery. In: Banjo, O.O. (eds) Immigrant Generations, Media Representations, and Audiences. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-75311-5_11
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-75311-5_11
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