Shopping Cultures

Second-generation Chinese American youths face the dilemma of negotiatingbetween traditional Chinese culture and mainstream American culture. Thisbook explores this social issue through examinining their patterns of datingattitudes and behaviors. Based on an analysis of 20 in-depth interviews thisstudy finds that respondents use both Chinese and American lenses toconstruct their dating attitudes and behaviors. Chinese and American datingare constructed as oppositional among the respondents. When discussingparents' roles commitment premarital sex and gender expectations thesecond-generation Chinese American youths pick and choose from theirconstructions of Chinese and American dating cultures. In so doing theyattempts to present a positive image of themselves in front of both Chineseand American dating cultures thus invent a positive culture of dating. Thisbook is of interest to sociologists psychologists and relationship therapistswho are interested in Asian American youths.