Event

You are invited to the Institute for Gender and Development Studies, St. Augustine Unit, Lunchtime Seminar Series 2012-13.

Andrew Le, Fulbright Scholar, Robert E. McNair Scholar, Charles A. Dana Scholar, Omicron Delta Kappa member and the winner of the 2011 American Sociological Association Asia/Asian American Best Graduate Student Paper Award presents Blurred Identities: The Vietnamese Community in Trinidad and Tobago Ships are the lifeline to Trinidad and Tobago.

About the lecture:

Ships carried over the majority of the population, helped establish an island society, and continually supply the local population with resources. But what are the unintended consequences when ships release their ballast? Enter the Vietnamese community. Taiwanese fishing companies catch and sell fish to the Trinidadian population. In a move to cut costs, these companies hire workers from different Asian countries as stevedores. The Vietnamese population in Trinidad derives from the Taiwanese fishing ships. The Vietnamese fishermen jump ship because of the inhumane conditions on the vessels. Jumping into the unknown is a better alternative for many of these fishermen. In Trinidad, these men start an amazing journey in which they become part of Trinidadian society without prior knowledge of the language, culture, or geography. My ongoing ethnography is a glimpse into their world. This talk will focus on the importance of the “ethnic precedent” set by the Chinese workers, blurred boundaries between Asian identities in the Trinidadian context, employment of the Vietnamese, and prospects of returning home.

Questions, comments, and suggestions are greatly appreciated.