December 21, 2008 | Yvonne Lim Wilson
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Growing up, my family was fairly conservative. As a small business owner, my dad voted Republican and my mom adores the Regan years. I cast my first vote for George H.W. Bush.
But then I went to college at UT Austin and everything changed. Austin is a liberal town and the university, even more liberal.
I used to think that Asians were naturally conservative, but now I am not so sure.
Lucky for us, UT doctoral student Taofang Huang is studying precisely this issue: how do our cultural backgrounds influence our political behavior?
“The goal is to understand individuals growing up experiences and how those experiences foster a person’s group identity, and also how that identity is linked to a person’s political views and behaviors,” Huang said.
So far, Huang has interviewed about 70 Asian Americans from various backgrounds and generations. She expects to publish her findings in 2010 and plans to also teach a course about Asian American politics.
Given the wide range of backgrounds of the participants, Huang says she fully expects to find some variance among the generations.
Huang, a Ph.D. candidate in the government department, said she came upon the idea for this research from her own personal experience in applying for graduate school.
“When I first came here, I didn’t get any funding for my first semester. It was very stressful,” she said.
She wondered if her being from Taiwan had anything to do with it. Not simply in terms of discrimination, but something deeper.
In Taiwan, students do not approach professors about funding whereas in the states, students are more aggressive and assertive with their professors, Huang said. How does this cultural difference affect her and others?
“It’s not something good or bad,” Huang said. “It made me wonder how Asians deal with their own cultural backgrounds as well as the mainstream American culture.”
Even as an American born Chinese, I have often wondered the same. How might my cultural background influence me in my daily interactions? I’m certainly eager to follow Huang’s results – stayed tuned to Asian Austin to keep track of Huang’s study!
To participate in the study, go to: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=D_2fAfOIS3HSv0igzaAQZOyA_3d_3d
Contact Taofang Huang at joyfultao@yahoo.com.
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