Regional Sociology Commons^™

Nisby Family: John Patrick Nisby, Jr. (Youth), Chris Bauer

African American Stories

Being the son of two high-achievers might be a burden for some people, but John Patrick Nisby says that he has had a “wonderful life.” His parents have played positive roles in his upbringing, introducing many factors into his life, which have inspired and motivated him...

Pech Family: Kun Tuy (Middle), Lindsey Gaines

Cambodian American Stories

Imagine a 15-year-old girl forced to work in the fields, seven days a week, from five in the morning until seven at night. In the U.S., such a young woman would be going to school to learn about herself and about life’s opportunities. Kun Tuy dreamed of teaching dance. Instead, she was put to work by the Khmer Rouge in the rice fields of mountainous Cambodia. She received no money and little food for her labor. The Khmer Rouge ruled by suppression and killing in anticipation of establishing a Communist regime in Cambodia…

Komure Family: Kathryn "Katy" Komure (Elder), Jacob Lethbridge

Japanese American Stories

Since she was a young girl in French Camp, Katy Komure found her life defined by work. Despite a constant struggle to reach her goals, things had a way of working out for Katy. She focused on what she thought important and found she could succeed despite social barriers which stood in her way…

Back Cover

The Bridge

No abstract provided.

Christians Against Globalization In The Philippines, Kathy Nadeau

Anthropology Faculty Publications

This paper focuses on the Basic Christian Communities in the Philippines that work to counter human and environmental rights violations resulting from macro-economic development processes. While not every activist-led and mass-based people's movement includes critical environmental issues on their agendas for social change, this paper directs its attention to the progressive Basic Christian Community movement that incorporates an environmentally concerned and team-oriented approach to problem solving at the local level. This movement is part of an international bottom-up effort to counteract some of the negative effects of global capitalism (e.g., the fragmentation of close-knit communities that were once based on …

Editorial Statement

The Bridge

No abstract provided.

Danish Anti-Americanism: A Socio-Cultural Perspective, Poul Houe

The Bridge

In the spring of 2002, Granta, the distinguished "Magazine of New Writing," put out a special issue in which "twenty-four writers drawn from many countries" reflect on "What We Think of America." On the magazine's back cover, the occasion for their musings is presented as follows:

The September 11 attacks on the US provoked shock and pity in the rest of the world, but mingled with the sympathy was something harsher: anti-Americanism. It wasn't confined to the West Bank or Kabul. It could be heard in English country pubs, in the bars of Paris and Rome, the tea stalls of …

Front Cover

The Bridge

No abstract provided.

Contributors

The Bridge

No abstract provided.

Doc Christy, Borge M. Christensen

The Bridge

On February 17, 1892, a young man of twenty-five boarded the transatlantic steamer Hekla in the port of Copenhagen to emigrate to the United States of America as had many Danes before him. When he took the decision to emigrate we do not know; but that he was determined to leave is certain. His father died shortly before the departure date and the burial coincided with the sailing date. Why did he leave his home? What happened to him?

The Danish Interest Conference, Thorvald Hansen

The Bridge

On January 1, 1963 The American Evangelical Lutheran Church ceased to exist as a separate entity. The AELC was the new name that had been assumed by the Danish Evangelical Lutheran Church in America in 1954. Therefore, what really came to an end in 1963 was the Danish Evangelical Lutheran Church, which hereinafter shall be referred to simply as the Danish Church.

Reviews

The Bridge

No abstract provided.

Front Cover

The Bridge

No abstract provided.

Front Matter

The Bridge

No abstract provided.

Editorial Statement

The Bridge

No abstract provided.

The Cups Of Blood Are Emptied: Pietism And Cultural Heritage In Two Danish Immigrant Schools On The Great Plains, John Mark Nielsen

The Bridge

Following the American Civil War, the vast sweep of the Great Plains exerted a powerful force on the imagination of Americans and Northern European immigrants, resulting in a period of rapid settlement. Within immigrant communities, in particular, attempts were made to establish institutions where the language, beliefs and cultural heritage of a people might be preserved. The history of these immigrant institutions mirror the challenges immigrant communities faced in confronting not only the vicissitudes of climate and evolving economic conditions but also the pressures of assimilation.

Portrait Of A Peddler, Enok Mortensen

The Bridge

Editors learn about potential articles in many ways. Last spring my wife and I were participating in "volunteer week" at the Danish Immigrant Archive - Dana College. During one of the twice daily breaks for coffee and kringle, Marilyn Juul Hanson, a volunteer from Cedar Falls, Iowa, shared some anecdotes about her great uncle, an itinerant peddler named Jergen Juul. When I expressed an interest in the story of Jergen Juul, Marilyn and her husband, Roger Hanson, a retired professor of physics at the University of Northern Iowa, gave me a copy of an article in English about the peddler …

Reviews

The Bridge

Written in the 1930s, Petersen, in his memoirs, tells the story of his life beginning with his childhood in Denmark in the 1860s and concludes in the 1890s when he married and became a settled citizen in Dannebrog, Nebraska. He is best known for his decade-long service as postmaster in Dannebrog and publisher of the Dannebrog News. But instead of telling about his career as postmaster and publisher, he relates, in great detail, events from his youth, his various jobs, his travels from place to place as his work directed him, and incidents that he witnessed. Nevertheless, his story is …

Full Issue

The Bridge

No abstract provided.

Sorn Family: Sophat Sorn (Middle), Tammy Hunt

Cambodian American Stories

Sophat Sorn has a great love for his native country of Cambodia. On its soil, he learned great lessons in life and in loss. Sophat never wanted to leave Cambodia. However, he had no choice, as his family safety was threatened. On October 30th, 1991, Sophat and his family arrived in Petaluma, California to start a new life. Two weeks later, the family arrived in Stockton. Now, surrounded by his children, Sophat tells stories of his lost youth, homeland, friends and family left behind…

Lo Family: Shoua Lo (Middle), Amy E. Smith

Hmong American Stories

Coming-of-age can happen abruptly, through a single experience—or it can be a process. For Shoua Lo, a cheerful man who laughs easily, the process began at age 19, when he decided to marry and start a family of his own. For Americans of all ethnicities, starting a family is a rite of passage that can open the door of adulthood. When you have children of your own, it is harder to continue to think of yourself as a child. Shoua, born the second oldest in a family of seven sons and three daughters, knew very well what sort of responsibilities …

Lo Family: Teng Lo (Elder), Amy E. Smith

Hmong American Stories

“If you work like a slave first—eventually, you’ll get to eat and live like a leader. If you eat and live like a leader first—eventually, you’ll have to eat and live like a slave.”

These are words of wisdom, words that anyone can learn from. They’re words that Teng Lo has never forgotten. Now seventy years old, he has learned many things in life—but those words, spoken by his Hmong elders, are as meaningful today as when he first heard them, years ago and in a very different place, as a twelve-year-old boy.

Juanitas Family: Eudosia Juanitas (Elder), Tucker Corriveau

Filipino American Stories

Eudosia Juanitas is a registered nurse among a family of physicians, pharmacists and scientists. Upon first glance, it might appear that Eudosia simply took advantage of the opportunities presented to a woman in a privileged family. However, deeper inspection reveals a woman who has fought against difficult odds to create a life of realized dreams…

Carido Family: Camila Carido (Elder), G. Lee

Filipino American Stories

Camila Carido’s early years prepared her well for the adult responsibilities that were thrust upon her. Born in 1910, in the village of Hinundayan, Leyte in the Phillipine Islands, she and three sisters were left behind with their mother, Macaria, when her father emigrated to the U.S. Without a father in the house, mother and children had to fend for themselves in the coastal plains in the island where they lived…

Sosa Family: Olivia Sosa (Middle), April Foster

Mexican American Stories

A young Olivia was told many things, “stand up straight,” “chew with your mouth closed” and other such demands. Often, requests such as those fall upon deaf ears. Olivia was also told to stay in school and get an education. This, she did not forget. These words have remained with her throughout her life. Graduating from University of the Pacific, Olivia has followed this advice as she continues learning as a successful business woman…

Nisby Family: John Nisby (Middle), Christina Conrardy

African American Stories

Imagine the sun shining high overhead. There is nothing but you, the bright blue sky and the musky smell of hay. You focus on the task at hand—bucking hay. Your physical exertion, combined with the knowledge of hard work, meld into a great sense of satisfaction and sweaty accomplishment. For young John, this imagined scene was a daily occurrence…

Juanitas Family: P. Felomina Hufana (Middle), Gina Beltrama

Filipino American Stories

Football games, pep rallies, basketball games, and dances—these are the memories that Felomina cherishes most about her past. Coming from a large family of seven children, there was always something going on in the Juanitas’ household. Attending cultural events, along with high school activities, was a significant part of life for Felomina and it is something that she still treasures today…

Wong Family: Debbie Nozuka (Youth), Riley Buck

Chinese American Stories

In October 1915, a brave man left his home country of China to come to America in search of something better in “Gum San,” the land of the “Golden Hills.” Because of this man, Debbie was given the opportunity to begin her life in the U.S. This man was her grandfather. “As a family, people share a unique bond, ” Debbie explains. “Even though I cannot communicate well with my…older relatives because of a language barrier, I cherish and value the time I spend with them…”

Canepa Family: Steven J. Canepa (Middle), Christopher Anderson

Italian American Stories

Many early Italian immigrants to Stockton were entrepreneurs and quite industrious. Steven’s grandfather was a partner in a thriving grocery/delicatessen, and his father founded Canepa’s car wash, which has remained a family business. As others from Steven’s generation, Italians had the choice either to begin their own careers or to join an established family enterprise. At the age of 10, Steven began helping out in his father's car wash business. After he began working, he noticed his family began to treat him more like an adult…

Hirata Family: Karen Cairel (Youth), April Foster

Japanese American Stories

For Karen Cairel, coming-of-age was a journey, involving many steps and the support of loving family ties. She treasures the model her grandmother provided showing her that adult life can be bright and positive. Karen’s religion of Buddhism and Japanese heritage provided the values that guided her to maturity. She remembers the support of parents who adjusted quickly as she began to make adult choices. In sum, she was warmly cared for as she made her way toward adulthood…