Mental Health Among Taiwanese Americans: Gender, Immigration, And Transnational Struggles (The New Americans: Recent Immigration and American Society)

322 Pages·2006·1.32 MB·English

by  Chien-juh Gu

The New Americans
Recent Immigration and American Society

Edited by
Steven J. Gold and Rubén G. Rumbaut

A Series from LFB Scholarly
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Mental Health among Taiwanese
Americans
Gender, Immigration, and Transnational
Struggles

Chien-Juh Gu

LFB Scholarly Publishing LLC
New York 2006
Copyright © 2006 by LFB Scholarly Publishing LLC

All rights reserved.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Gu, Chien-Juh, 1969-
Mental health among Taiwanese Americans : gender, immigration,
and transnational struggles / Chien-Juh Gu.
p. cm. -- (The new Americans : recent immigration and American
society)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 1-59332-130-9 (alk. paper)
1. Taiwanese Americans--Mental health. 2. Immigrants--Mental
health--United States. 3. Taiwanese Americans--Ethnic identity. 4.
Taiwanese Americans--Social conditions. 5. Sex role--United States.
6. United States--Emigration and immigration--Psychological aspects.
7. Taiwan--Emigration and immigration--Psychological aspects. 8.
Transnationalism. I. Title. II. Series: New Americans (LFB Scholarly
Publishing LLC)
E184.T35G8 2006
155.8'4951073--dc22

2006006308

ISBN 1-59332-130-9

Printed on acid-free 250-year-life paper.

Manufactured in the United States of America.
This book is dedicated to my mother,
Chiu-Yueh Lin,
who endured all the roughness, sacrifices, and bitterness of
being a traditional Taiwanese woman throughout her life,
but raised me in a non-traditional way.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS

List of Tables ix

List of Figures xiii

Acknowledgements xv

Chapter 1: Introduction 1

Chapter 2: Literature Review 9

Chapter 3: Theoretical Foundations and Conceptual Framework 29

Chapter 4: Methodology and Data 61

Chapter 5: Taiwanese Immigration to the United States 97

Chapter 6: A Journey with Wondering 125

Chapter 7: Ambivalent Cultural Tug 167

Chapter 8: Unbearable Racial Othering 221

Chapter 9: Conclusion –
Gendered Transnational Struggles and Agencies 249

Appendices 269

Bibliography 275

Index 303
vii
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LIST OF TABLES

Table 5-1: Americans of East Asian Origin 104

Table 5-2: Immigration Trends from East Asia (1990-2000) 106

Table 5-3: Comparison of East Asian Immigrants by Major
Occupation Group and Region/Country of Birth (1900-2000) 109

Table 5-4: Comparison of East Asian Immigrants by Class of
Admission and Region/Country of Last Permanent Residence
(1992-2000) 111

Table 5-5: Sex-Marital Status of Taiwan-born U.S. Citizens 113

Table 5-6: Sex Ratios of East-Asian-born U.S. Citizens 114

Table5-7: Occupations of East-Asian-born U.S. citizens 115

Table 5-8: Class of Workers among East-Asian-born U.S. citizens 117

Table 5-9: Top Ten States in Which Taiwanese Americans Reside 118

Table 6-1: Motives for Initial Emigration 127

Table 6-2: Gender and Motives for Initial Emigration 128

Table 6-3: Social Class and Motives for Initial Emigration 130

Table 6-4: Ethnicity and Motives for Initial Emigration 131

ix