The Other Ones: Inter-generational conflicts over non-conforming romantic relationships of the 1.5- and second-generation in Vietnamese diaspora in the Czech Republic

Abstract

To comprehend how varying levels of acculturation and diverse socio-cultural values generate different forms of otherness within the Vietnamese diaspora residing in the Czech Republic, this article examines two types of intergenerational conflicts: those related to inter-ethnic heterosexual relationships and those related to inter-ethnic same-sex relationships. Drawing on analytical data obtained through in-depth and semi-structured interviews with individuals from the first, 1.5, and second generations, the article posits that the majority of first-generation Vietnamese individuals in the Czech Republic strongly oppose the inter-ethnic heterosexual relationships of the 1.5 and second generations. Members of the first generation believe that such inter-ethnic relationships can disrupt the socio-cultural unity of the family and jeopardise their transnational family business networks. They also exhibit pronounced homophobic tendencies, perceiving homosexuality as a contagious illness, a curse, or a consequence of the parents’ bad karma. Nevertheless, to conceal their children’s homosexuality from the diaspora and the rest of the family in Vietnam, parents prefer same-sex inter-ethnic relationships over co-ethnic ones.