ABSTRACT
One of the most ironic aspects of the ethnic/cultural negotiations that can be observed among the couples occurs along two dimensions characterized by divergent motivations but similar outcomes. The first category is made up of individuals who are relatively politicized about their Asian American identity and are purposive about maintaining “Asianness,” together with individuals who did not necessarily see their ethnic assertions as a political statement but still believed in the importance of maintaining an Asian American identity and ethnic cultures. The second category is made up of individuals and couples, about three-fourths of the interethnically married group, who are de facto passing down what they refer to as “Asianness” but do not see themselves as making a particular effort to do so by virtue of the fact that they are in a marriage with a fellow Asian-ethnic.
