Strengthening transnational community through social and cultural empowerment: a case study of second generation Thai American descendants

Abstract

Strengthening transnational communities through social and cultural empowerment involves focusing on the decision-making process. Different social and cultural factors are considered when it comes to strengthening the Thai community in Southern California. In this study, the focus is on the exploration and analysis of the underlying factors upon another aspect of community development, but in the dimension of an ethnic community formed by people who live outside of their native families and their heredity, Second Generation, and the latter Descendants. An exploration of the social and cultural empowerment factors creates a foundation for the determination of the ideal strategies to strengthen the Thai community. This research has explored various social and cultural empowerment factors that strengthen the Thai community, focusing on three research objectives: 1. To understand a process of strengthening communities through social and cultural empowerment for transnational communities; 2. To learn and report the underlying factors of motivational drive for community strengthening from the viewpoint of second generation descendants, as well as to report problems, limitations, and suggestions for future study; 3. To propose an empowerment model path through social and cultural dimensions deemed effective for transnational community development. This research adopts a qualitative methodology, relying on an in-depth interview with the ten key informants as the primary source of data collection. To ensure the validity of the findings, a triangulation technique was employed for data verification. The data underwent thematic analysis to align with the study's objectives, facilitating the interpretation of patterns and themes throughout the data. This approach enabled the identification of significant factors and insights related to the research objectives and the underlying elements involved. Based on the information gathered from ten key informants, we determined how social and cultural empowerment contributes to strengthening the Thai community in response to the first research question. The three significant ways identified are 1. Activities of the Second Generation Thai American Descendants, 2. Roles of the First Generation, and 3. Involvement in Community Leadership. Regarding the second research question, which focuses on the leading social and cultural empowerment factors that strengthen the Thai community through Second Generation Thai American Descendants, the research identified five key factors: 1. Enhanced diversity and inclusivity, 2. Improved access to education and training, 3. Gender equality, 4. Community engagement, and 5. Technology integration. It is important to focus on effectively managing social and cultural empowerment factors to ensure success. With respect to the implications, some recommendations can be considered, such as the promotion of inclusive education, strengthening the existing institutional and legal Frameworks, and investing wisely in digital infrastructure and technology integration to ensure there is equitability when it comes to technology access. The study further finds that the First generation provides a foundation for the second generation to understand the relevant social and cultural factors to strengthen their communities globally. Future research should also focus on the role of social networks and community support in strengthening transnational communities through social and cultural empowerment.