Vietnamese ethnic identity and food in Canberra

Abstract

In this thesis I describe two key symbols of Vietnamese ethnic identity in Canberra, namely flag and family where flag represents the Vietnamese love of homeland and commitment to continue the struggle for freedom, and family relations between kin based on generosity and reciprocity coupled with unquestioned authority and respect for elders. These are markers of ethnic distinctiveness deployed by Vietnamese to distinguish themselves from the Anglo-Celtic majority and other minority groups arriving in Australia from Indochina. I examine how the collective and particularistic aspects of both are worked out through the commercial production and presentation of food - an "authentic" cultural product - marketed by Vietnamese restauranteurs in an Australian context. Show more