Daughters of the Diaspora: Using Autoethnography to Interrogate Impositions of Cultural Conformity

Authors

Rose M. Wake Dr, Monash University, AustraliaFollow
Jane Southcott, Monash UniversityFollow
Maria Gindidis, Monash UniversityFollow

Abstract

In this collaborative autoethnography, I (Rose) discuss my personal experience with cultural transmission as cultural conformity. As a cultural hybrid and a daughter of a southern Italian proxy bride I share my narratives with a daughter of a Greek proxy bride (Maria). We find confluences in our experiences and understandings that suggest we are Daughters of the Diaspora. We may not be unique. Using a shared autoethnographical approach between ourselves and a collaborator (Jane), we construct and critique vignettes that capture and interrogate our understandings. This study offers a potential model for further inquiry by women who are daughters of migrant parents and who may have had similar experiences of the impositions of cultural conformity. This study is situated in Australia, but as global citizens, it behoves us in terms of social inclusion and social equity to recognise who our people are, the different way which people came to new countries and how that impacts the generations that follow them.

Keywords

diaspora, daughters of proxy brides, cultural identity, autoethnography

Author Bio(s)

Dr Rose Wake is a researcher currently exploring the impact of female immigration Her specific focus is daughters of migrants and the trajectory of their lives and education in Australia. Please direct correspondence to rose.wake1@monash.edu

As a phenomenologist, Professor Jane Southcott researches education, cultural identities and hybridity, and community engagement with the arts focusing on lifelong education. A revisionist historian, Jane researches music education in Australia, Europe, England, and the USA. Please direct correspondence to jane.southcott@monash.edu

Dr. Maria Gindidis is a Senior Lecturer at Monash University. Her research interests include marginalised teachers, intergenerational spaces for immigrant language sustainability and community language schools operating for the diaspora in Australia. Please direct correspondence to maria.gindidis@monash.edu

Publication Date

6-7-2024

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.

DOI

10.46743/2160-3715/2024.6898

Recommended APA Citation

Wake, R. M., Southcott, J., & Gindidis, M. (2024). Daughters of the Diaspora: Using Autoethnography to Interrogate Impositions of Cultural Conformity. The Qualitative Report, 29(6), 1621-1636. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2024.6898

ORCID ID

0000-0002-9172-2206

ResearcherID

Web of Science - JPA-0005-2023