The Filipino American Dream

Abstract

Abstract

Introduction: This thesis mainly explores the experience of second generation Filipinos here in the states and their experience of the home. Home and community are extremely important to Filipinos and are considered to be at the core of their culture and values, and through studying the way Filipinos use a home, this can then be incorporated into the typical American home to create stronger home and community bonds.

Background: The Filipino American identity is the cultural identity of individuals of Filipino descent who live in the United States. Filipino American identity is shaped by a unique blend of Filipino cultural traditions and values, as well as American cultural influences. This results in a dynamic and evolving identity that is distinct from both the Philippines and the United States. In the Philippines, multigenerational homes are very common and are considered to be a traditional and important part of Filipino culture. These homes typically include several generations of family members living together under one roof, such as grandparents, parents, and children. So, moving here to the states, they struggled to fit in twice the people meant to be living in a single American home.

Research Questions: How does the experience of first generation Filipino American immigrants affect attitudes towards homes? Do first generation Filipino American immigrants make different use of the microarchitecture of the home than other Americans: How are rooms organized, how are they used, how homes grow?

Methods: Extensive interviews with second generation Filipino Americans along with interviews from other cultures and generations investigating culture and identity and the home. The use of other case studies about the experience of second generation immigrants and more articles about the history of the home has been used in this thesis.

Main Results: The experience of second generation Filipino Americans are unique in the way that they are a mix of their culture of origin and the culture here in America. Most second generation immigrants don’t have a deep connection to their culture of origin, but also don’t feel as welcomed in American culture due to their obvious cultural identity of being from somewhere else. In investigating this, many of the interviews consisted of the participants feeling like they didn’t have a home in their culture of origin or in the American culture that they grew up in.

Conclusions: Although most participants struggled with feeling like they had a “home,” most of the participants as they grew up found home in other aspects like communities and organizations and eventually felt more assimilated into both their culture of origin and the culture that they grew up in. This led to them appreciating and being proud of their mixed identities and creating their own definition of home different from their first generation parents and wanting to pass it down to the next generations.