"the Ground Not Take Root" Chinese Cultural Adaptation Of The Research, Dublin, Ireland

By means of the fieldwork pertaining to the Chinese visa students of Chinese family, Chinese community, Chinese restaurant and Chinese church in Ireland, this dissertation aims to investigate the issue of cultural adaptation. Cultural adaptation is one of the important spheres of anthropology which contains important implications for the study around Chinese immigrants.Cultural adaptation is a process full of complexity, on which the scholars abroad and domestic have done extensive research, bringing about several different modes and theories, such as U-Curve Mode, the strategy of cultural adaptation by Berry, and so on. In view of the previous research on cultural adaptation modes, this dissertation, starting from the daily life of the Chinese, analyzes the changes and differences of the Chinese in Ireland due to their exposure to Irish culture. Based on the study of different factors, such as the interpersonal skills, the close degree of communicating, the links to the national culture, the attitudes towards Irish culture, the individual age, character, motivation, occupation, education, religion and so on, it tries to summarize the cultural adaptation of the Chinese in Ireland and its causes.The traditional mode theory of immigrant cultural adaptation advocates the dualism—"striking roots" and "returning to roots". On the basis of fieldwork in Dublin of Ireland, I find that the state of immigrant cultural adaptation is not exclusive to binary modes but still inclusive of another one of uncertainty, namely "setting down but not taking root". In this context, albeit merely an expedient mode of cultural adaptation as opposed to the new form of migrating groups under background of globalization, this mode provides necessary social, instrumental and emotional support for the cultural adaptation of migrating groups. As a special form of cultural adaptation, it stands in contrast with the traditional dualism and accordingly offers a particular case for the study of the cultural adaptation.This dissertation consists of three sections, including the introduction, the main body (covering six chapters) and the conclusion.The introduction is composed of causation and meaning of the thesis, literature review, research perspectives and methods, and others.The main body is divided into six chapters.Chapter one, namely "A Brief History of Chinese immigrant in Ireland", mainly reviews the Chinese immigrants in Ireland from the dimension of history. Firstly, it tells the early Chinese immigrant in Europe, meanwhile summarizes four types and two tides of migration. Secondly, it puts emphasis on the early Chinese immigrants in Ireland and the tides of immigration, hence providing a background reference to the approaching research of the contemporary Chinese immigrants in Ireland.Chapter two, entitled as "Approaching the contemporary Chinese community in Ireland", sums up the present situation of Chinese migrants in Ireland, and pays more attention to the Chinese visa students. By means of both questionnaire and case interview, it discusses population structure, immigration pattern, and immigration process, presenting a complex life scenario of different occupations and groups.Chapter three, with the title as "Daily Life and Adaptation", depicts the daily life and language interaction of Chinese family and Chinese community in detail, and with reflections from the perspective of the other, it verifies a two-way process of cultural adaptation.Chapter four, named as "Economic Life and Adaptation", mainly showcases Chinese migrants’ economic life in Ireland, and their diversified and unbalanced cultural adaptation. At the same time, the historical ups and downs of Chinese restaurant in Ireland are sketched out.Chapter five, whose title is "Religious Life and Adaptation", reveals the relationship between Christianity and social life of Chinese, as well as the function and role in the process of cultural adaptation from the point of view of functionalism.Chapter six, that is given the title "setting down but not taking root", focuses on analyzing the causation of the Chinese’s cultural adaptation to Irish society in terms of historical experience, immigration policy and social network.In the section of conclusion, this dissertation on a basis of the above chapters contends that Chinese migrants in Ireland have structured a dispersed Chinese community via the secondary sectors including Chinese family, Chinese community, Chinese restaurant and Chinese church. And they have been adapting to Irish life and cultural difference in the manner of "setting down but not taking root".