Qualitative interviewing is a broadly used method of data collection, but its discussions have rarely been situated in ethnic-Chinese contexts and immigrant communities. What factors are crucial for conducting effective interviews with ethnic-Chinese subjects? In what contexts do general principles not apply, thereby needing adjustments, and how? Reflecting on the experience of interviewing approximately 100 Taiwanese immigrants in the United States, I discuss the importance of mindfulness, cultural sensitivity, and triangulation. I argue that researchers need to be mindful of the potential effects of interviewers’ and interviewees’ structural positions on the interview process, quality, and outcomes. Cultural understanding is necessary when assessing ethical issues and designing interview questions. However, researchers also need to set aside their knowledge of ethnic-Chinese culture from time to time in order to capture the nuanced cultural meanings. Finally, conducting ethnographic observations helps researchers understand the lived contexts of subjects’ experiences and their varied interpretations. Using examples from two research projects, I illustrate significant factors that facilitate or hinder the proceeding of qualitative interviewing with ethnic-Chinese subjects. These reflections foster researchers’ understanding and practice of reflexivity at the crossroads of methods and ethnic culture.
Refugees’ vulnerability to mental illness has been well documented, but challenges in research remain. Following Bourdieu’s approach to social suffering, this article uses Burmese Christian refugees’ life stories to illustrate their lived realities of displacement in which their despair is produced. These stories reveal not only refugees’ subjective experiences but also various structural inequalities in the sending, transit, and receiving social contexts that hinder their well-being. Burmese Christian refugees’ social suffering is created by varied manmade social problems and processes, including the dictatorship and religious intolerance in Myanmar; human trafficking and gang rape in Thailand; labour exploitation and police corruption in Malaysia; and racial prejudice and oppression in the US. Regardless of their contributions to the blue-collar economy, Burmese refugees endure mistreatment and a lack of benefits and promotions in their labour-intensive factory jobs. Their feelings of displacement continue even after finding religious and political freedom in the resettled country.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.