Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Jennifer Eastman Att Ebery. Pole Raising And Speech Making: Modalities Of Swedish American Summer Celebration., Christopher Oscarson

The Bridge

In a conversation with a colleague several years ago, I was surprised to find out that we were both exactly one quarter Swedish—I through my paternal grandfather and he through his maternal grandfather. This was unexpected because based on his appearance, family traditions, and last name, I had never anticipated that we might share this common ancestral heritage. Whereas my family has tended to emphasize its connections to Swedish culture, his has focused on links to Japan. There are good reasons that account for the differences in our families’ respective cultural identification, but the variability of how we each see …