Social Formation (Social Sciences Coursework)

Social Formation
Name
Institutional Affiliate
Social Formation
Societies around the world are characteristic of different social constructs that define people’s interactions and integrations across the equally diverse dimensions of society. These social constructs may take the form of superficial elements such as the skin color of an individual or group of people or even ideological beliefs, values, and traditions across the said dimensions. Both the superficial and ideological elements upon which the social constructs develop further play a significant role in determining how an individual or group of people perceive various aspects in life. Though the superficial elements or factors informing the development of social constructs such as race or racism may not change, the perceptions embraced by individuals or groups defined by and identifying with the same are bound to change with time. The ideological concepts informing the development of the said social constructs, on the other hand, may also remain constant, but a person’s or group’s orientation towards the same is also susceptible to change with time. The changes in perception and shifting affiliations to particular ideologies with time often reflect or rather correlate to the changes in external forces influencing the said transitions. In essence, both the superficial and ideological elements upon which forms the social constructs such as racism, ethnicity, class, gender, and even sexuality existing in society are subject to diverse changes without any changes occurring to the latter. The outlined social constructs and their integration with the said changes make for what is referred to as social formation, which further influences people’s interactions and integrations across the social, political, and economic dimensions in society. The stereotypes associated with individuals or groups of people from a given ethnic group, for instance, are functions of the social formations that inform how they identify themselves or other people’s perceptions of the same. Provided herein is a comprehensive analysis and evaluation of the impact of social formation as informed by observations from the interview of an 18-year-old Asian American student.
Description of the Interview Subject
The interview subject is an 18-year-old Asian American student, Jimmy Hwang, residing in Springfield, Illinois, with his parents and two siblings. Jimmy Hwan is the second-born child out of the three children born to their parents, who are Chinese immigrants. According to Jimmy, his parents moved to the United States at the height of the Chinese Cultural Revolution as they sought greener pastures CITATION Jim20 \l 1033 (Hwang, 2020). Upon moving to the United States, Jimmy’s parents pursued their dreams of gaining academic excellence in their unique professional fields, with the father becoming a medical doctor with a Ph.D. qualification for the same. The interview also reveals that despite being second-generation Chinese immigrants, Jimmy and his siblings have difficulties in speaking the Chinese language with their parents who are keen on persevering their cultural background and heritage by addressing their children in their native language while within their home CITATION Jim20 \l 1033 (Hwang, 2020). Jimmy and his siblings find it challenging to speak fluent Chinese and end up addressing their parents in English, even when addressed by the latter in Chinese. The family also holds and attends to Chinese festivals in the United States as it endeavors to uphold the Chinese cultural traditions and values. The parents further insist on eating Chinese delicacies as part of safeguarding the family’s cultural and traditional heritage CITATION Jim20 \l 1033 (Hwang, 2020). Jimmy further reveals that he has experienced racial stereotypes associated with his Chinese ethnicity or cultural background perpetuating the perception that Asian Americans are good in the academic fields of sciences and mathematics. He also reveals that the fact that he was the only Asian American student in the entire class subjected him to be used by one of the instructors to explain or teach on the issue of racism, asking him whether or not he has been a victim of racism. Despite being a victim of ethnic stereotypes, Jimmy comes across as an intelligent student with excellent performances or capabilities in the field of mathematics and sciences. Jimmy Hwang also went through a school transfer to another institution with a higher number of Asian American students than his previous school. He was the only student from the minority group in his class CITATION Jim20 \l 1033 (Hwang, 2020). He is more comfortable in the new school and believes that the new institutions bring out the best of him and other students as it is more oriented to academic excellence than the previous institution. The school to which he transferred to runs the STEM program that seeks to enhance the overall student’s performance in the science, mathematics, and technical disciplines in the United States CITATION Jim20 \l 1033 (Hwang, 2020). The fact that Asian American students’ population in Jimmy’s new school is higher than in the other school further impresses on the stereotype associated with Asian Americans’ excellent performances in the scientific and technical disciplines.
Thematic 1: Cultural Heritage and Identity among Asian americans
Among the key takeaways from the interview include the fact that individuals or groups undergo various transitions across the social, political, and economic dimensions in society that affect their unique perceptions in life. In essence, society’s social, political, and economic dimensions form excellent platforms upon which individuals or groups undergo various changes that influence their ideological perceptions CITATION Oki16 \l 1033 (Okihiro, 2016). Jimmy’s parents, for instance, arrive in the United States from China with the aim of pursuing their dreams, which reflects a shift in the overall political, social, and economic dimensions of their home country. These dimensions in the United States allow the Chinese immigrants to pursue their dreams for individual progress, unlike the Chinese collective cultural orientation. Jimmy Hwang and his siblings’ growth and development in a different social setting characterized by the equally unique social, political, and economic dimensions influence their perception and understanding of different aspects in society. Unlike their parents, Jimmy and his si...