In this clear, comprehensive, and unflinching study, Sucheng Chan invites us to follow the saga of Cambodian refugees striving to distance themselves from a series of cataclysmic events in their homeland. "Survivors" tracks not only the Cambodians' fight for lives but also their battle for self-definition in new American surroundings. Unparalleled in scope, "Survivors" begins with the Cambodians' experiences under the brutal Khmer Rouge regime, following them through escape to refugee camps in Thailand and finally to the United States, where they try to build new lives in the wake of massive trauma. Their struggle becomes primarily economic as they continue to negotiate new cultures and deal with rapidly changing gender and intergenerational relations within their own families. Poverty, crime, and racial discrimination all leave impact on their experiences in America, and each is examined in depth. Although written as a history, this is a thoroughly multidisciplinary study, and Chan makes use of research from anthropology, sociology, psychology, medicine, social work, linguistics and education. She also captures the perspective of individual Cambodians.
Drawing on interviews with more than fifty community leaders, a hundred government officials, and staff members in volunteer agencies, "Survivors" synthesizes the literature on Cambodian refugees, many of whom come from varying socioeconomic backgrounds. A major scholarly achievement, "Survivors" is unique in the Asian American canon for its memorable presentation of cutting-edge research and its interpretation of both sides of the immigration process.
- ISBN10 0252029208
- ISBN13 9780252029202
- Publish Date 5 May 2004
- Publish Status Out of Print
- Out of Print 10 July 2009
- Publish Country US
- Imprint University of Illinois Press
- Format Hardcover
- Pages 336
- Language English