The Ube (“Roots”) Generation
Filipino people comprise the second-highest percentage of the population in Guam, and this local trend mirrors that of the mainland United States. Using the metaphor of ube, I use the term “ube” to characterize the generation of my grandmother—the initial generation in their families to immigrate to...
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2016-12-01
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doaj-8e40d516df714deea0b6d6e5c90988022020-11-24T22:46:16ZengUniversity of the PhilippinesHumanities Diliman1655-15322012-07882016-12-0113275101The Ube (“Roots”) Generation Tabitha Espina VelascoFilipino people comprise the second-highest percentage of the population in Guam, and this local trend mirrors that of the mainland United States. Using the metaphor of ube, I use the term “ube” to characterize the generation of my grandmother—the initial generation in their families to immigrate to Guam from the Philippines, after the post-WWII migration surge. I term this generation the Ube (“Roots”) generation and describe how those in this generation use narrative as an attempt to negotiate their identities in new surroundings. Using an autoethnographic methodology, I interview my maternal grandmother, Ruthie Caser. I supplement this interview with (1) Caser’s letters, (2) the diary entries of her mother, Rebecca Alvarez, which reference Caser’s transnational relations between Guam and the Philippines, (3) a personal interview with Bernadette Provido, who was petitioned by her husband in connection with Camp Roxas, and (4) the responses in a 1976 survey of attitudes of Filipinas in Guam by Loida C. Retumban. By examining the experiences of the Ube generation through the personal telling of their own stories, I investigate the ways in which they reconcile their Filipino culture with the local and American cultures of Guam. I nevertheless maintain the caveat that my intention is not to determine the extent to which these immigrants retain their original culture or adopt the American culture. Rather, I hope to depict the process whereby they maintain and preserve aspects of their Filipino “roots,” while transforming and being transformed by their new landscape. This paper is part of a series, “Palatable Experiences: Identity Formation in the Narratives of Three Generations of Filipinas on Guam,” which examines the identities of the Ube Generation, the Sapin-Sapin (“Layers”) Generation, and the Halo-Halo (“Mix Mix”) Generation.http://www.journals.upd.edu.ph/index.php/humanitiesdiliman/article/view/5162/4639GuamFilipinaautoethnographynarrativegeneration identity |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Tabitha Espina Velasco |
spellingShingle |
Tabitha Espina Velasco The Ube (“Roots”) Generation Humanities Diliman Guam Filipina autoethnography narrative generation identity |
author_facet |
Tabitha Espina Velasco |
author_sort |
Tabitha Espina Velasco |
title |
The Ube (“Roots”) Generation |
title_short |
The Ube (“Roots”) Generation |
title_full |
The Ube (“Roots”) Generation |
title_fullStr |
The Ube (“Roots”) Generation |
title_full_unstemmed |
The Ube (“Roots”) Generation |
title_sort |
ube (“roots”) generation |
publisher |
University of the Philippines |
series |
Humanities Diliman |
issn |
1655-1532 2012-0788 |
publishDate |
2016-12-01 |
description |
Filipino people comprise the second-highest percentage of the population in Guam, and this local trend mirrors that of the mainland United States. Using the metaphor of ube, I use the term “ube” to characterize the generation of my grandmother—the initial generation in their families to immigrate to Guam from the Philippines, after the post-WWII migration surge. I term this generation the Ube (“Roots”) generation and describe how those in this generation use narrative as an attempt to negotiate their identities in new surroundings. Using an autoethnographic methodology, I interview my maternal grandmother, Ruthie Caser. I supplement this interview with (1) Caser’s letters, (2) the diary entries of her mother, Rebecca Alvarez, which reference Caser’s transnational relations between Guam and the Philippines, (3) a personal interview with Bernadette Provido, who was petitioned by her husband in connection with Camp Roxas, and (4) the responses in a 1976 survey of attitudes of Filipinas in Guam by Loida C. Retumban. By examining the experiences of the Ube generation through the personal telling of their own stories, I investigate the ways in which they reconcile their Filipino culture with the local and American cultures of Guam. I nevertheless maintain the caveat that my intention is not to determine the extent to which these immigrants retain their original culture or adopt the American culture. Rather, I hope to depict the process whereby they maintain and preserve aspects of their Filipino “roots,” while transforming and being transformed by their new landscape. This paper is part of a series, “Palatable Experiences: Identity Formation in the Narratives of Three Generations of Filipinas on Guam,” which examines the identities of the Ube Generation, the Sapin-Sapin (“Layers”) Generation, and the Halo-Halo (“Mix Mix”) Generation. |
topic |
Guam Filipina autoethnography narrative generation identity |
url |
http://www.journals.upd.edu.ph/index.php/humanitiesdiliman/article/view/5162/4639 |
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AT tabithaespinavelasco theuberootsgeneration AT tabithaespinavelasco uberootsgeneration |
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