An Analysis Of The Cultural Psychology Of Dai People 's Tobacco Use In Xishuangbanna County

The majority of research about smoking in China concerns Han Chinese, themain ethnic group comprising over90%of the population, and a paucity of researchexists on other ethnic groups officially recognized by the Chinese state. The presentstudy elucidates tobacco use among the Dai people, a large ethnic group in YunnanProvince. A study design consisting of interviews and grounded theory methodologyin a symbolic interactionist theoretical framework was employed to investigate theexperiences and interpretations of tobacco and smoking and how these relate tocultural and social milieu. The categories of the grounded theory reveal tobacco usewas weaved in a complex web of meanings, especially social interaction andcommunication with others, perceptions of health and illness, and work lives asagriculturalists, set against social change and social structures such as age and gender.An important finding was the stage-managing of tobacco as a symbol of traditionversus modern: Through a process of contested modernity, the older men championedtobacco customs as representative of their Dai heritage, and their own use of tobaccoas upholding traditional culture amid the rising tide of modernity encroaching oneveryday life. However, younger Dai preferred modern branded cigarettes whichsymbolized living in modern times, contemporary lifestyles which they regarded asnormal and fashionable. The findings also shed light on the underlying socialprocesses and contexts of tobacco use cognizant of Chinese social conventions. Thefindings have important implications for tobacco control strategies as health educationand interventions are more likely to be effective when culturally appropriate andnested in people’s beliefs and cultural and social milieu.