Successful ageing: The novel perspectives and experiences of Vietnamese migrants in Australia
Document Type
Book Chapter
Publication Title
Housing and Ageing Policies in Chinese and Global Contexts
Volume
15
First Page
53
Last Page
77
Publisher
Springer
School
School of Arts and Humanities
RAS ID
60439
Funders
Australian Government International Research Training Program / University of Western Australia
Abstract
Existing studies on successful ageing have been criticised for their western-centric approach. To address this criticism, this study presents Vietnamese migrants’ perspectives and experiences of successful ageing in a transnational context. Using a grounded theory approach and featuring emic perspectives, data collected on 42 Vietnamese migrants in Australia through ethnographic interviews and participant observation were analysed to develop a model of successful ageing based on the socio-cultural values and economic and institutional contexts of the home and host countries. The findings indicate that, contrary to the western notions associated with individual successes, self-control, and independence, Vietnamese migrants’ successful ageing perceptions comprise three key dimensions: family fulfilments, individual achievements, and social engagement and protection, of which family fulfilments is the most crucial; the others, individual achievements and social engagement and protection, are relevant but rendered meaningless without the former. Accordingly, Vietnamese migrants’ conceptualisation of successful ageing is culturally driven and socially constructed, and must be understood subjectively by incorporating multiple self-defined and self-categorised dimensions. This is especially evident in transnational and migrant contexts, in which the Vietnamese people’s perceptions of successful ageing are influenced by cultural exchanges and transformation, but retain their dominant cultural meanings.
DOI
10.1007/978-981-99-5382-0_4
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Comments
Nguyen, H. T., Baldassar, L., & Wilding, R. (2023). Successful ageing: The novel perspectives and experiences of Vietnamese migrants in Australia. In T. C. T. Shum & C. C. L. Kwong (Eds.), Housing and Ageing Policies in Chinese and Global Contexts (pp. 53-77). Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-5382-0_4