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Essay / Postmemory and Layered Memories of Vietnamese Americans
Table of ContentsPostmemoryVietnamese Americans and Layered MemoriesContribution of PostmemoryPostmemoryPostmemory refers to the generational transmission of memories about events. It involves a generation living to remember the experiences of the past generation who witnessed the event and striving to pass those memories on to the next generation. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Vietnamese Americans and Overlapping Memories Vietnamese Americans have long experienced overlapping memories of the U.S.-Vietnam War. Generations learned about war and used what they learned to construct memories about the events surrounding the conflict. Vietnamese Americans learn about war from their elders and use that message to form memories of the conflict. For example, children talk about their loved ones who died during the war to help them connect to the events of the war. Knowing that they lost loved ones during the war, children tend to develop a sense of the direct impact that the war left on their family (Espiritu 89). Parents show their children photos of their loved ones killed during the war to make them aware of the reality of the deaths that occurred during the war. For example, Espiritu gives an example of how he used a picture to learn more about his uncle who was killed in the war (121). The experiences of Vietnam War survivors are also used to construct generational memories acquired by Vietnamese Americans. Vietnamese Americans accepted the results of the war by being conditioned by the fact that the Vietnamese population who suffered were defending the country against invasion. Contribution of Postmemory The generational transfer of memories regarding the Vietnam War helps connect Vietnamese Americans to their country. Refugee studies use these memories to show how refugees want to live in their country but conflict prevents them from returning. Refugee studies can use the case of Vietnamese Americans to make suggestions about the need to send refugees back to their countries because they are connected to their culture and memories and it will be easy for them to resettle..