Representation of Iranian-American Identity and Finding the Funds of Knowledge in the Resilience of Cultural Heritage

Abstract

This dissertation assembles a case study of Iranian immigrant families in the United States conducted in the northeast. This work addresses the transnational diasporic global identity of second-generation Iranian-Americans. The literature reflects on the exile experience, concluding that Iranian identity is a disputed problematic issue. I argue hybridity pens the migratory process, building links and relationships at the material and cultural levels from the sending and receiving countries. To reveal these connections, I use the funds of knowledge/identity approach to demonstrate how families reach self-understanding and communicate that understanding to others. By examining Persian culture and traditions, this approach sheds new light on the cultural transformations and cultural preservations valued among the second generation. The study shows that complex webs of factors continue to be at work in the shaping of the sociocultural dynamics of Iranian-Americas.