Social Formation (Social Sciences Coursework)

Social Formation
Name
Institutional Affiliate
Social Formation
Societies around the world are characteristic of different social constructs that define people’s interactions and integrations across the equally diverse dimensions of society. These social constructs may take the form of superficial elements such as the skin color of an individual or group of people or even ideological beliefs, values, and traditions across the said dimensions. Both the superficial and ideological elements upon which the social constructs develop further play a significant role in determining how an individual or group of people perceive various aspects in life. Though the superficial elements or factors informing the development of social constructs such as race or racism may not change, the perceptions embraced by individuals or groups defined by and identifying with the same are bound to change with time. The ideological concepts informing the development of the said social constructs, on the other hand, may also remain constant, but a person’s or group’s orientation towards the same is also susceptible to change with time. The changes in perception and shifting affiliations to particular ideologies with time often reflect or rather correlate to the changes in external forces influencing the said transitions. In essence, both the superficial and ideological elements upon which forms the social constructs such as racism, ethnicity, class, gender, and even sexuality existing in society are subject to diverse changes without any changes occurring to the latter. The outlined social constructs and their integration with the said changes make for what is referred to as social formation, which further influences people’s interactions and integrations across the social, political, and economic dimensions in society. The stereotypes associated with individuals or groups of people from a given ethnic group, for instance, are functions of the social formations that inform how they identify themselves or other people’s perceptions of the same. Provided herein is a comprehensive analysis and evaluation of the impact of social formation as informed by observations from the interview of an 18-year-old Asian American student.
Description of the Interview Subject
The interview subject is an 18-year-old Asian American student, Jimmy Hwang, residing in Springfield, Illinois, with his parents and two siblings. Jimmy Hwan is the second-born child out of the three children born to their parents, who are Chinese immigrants. According to Jimmy, his parents moved to the United States at the height of the Chinese Cultural Revolution as they sought greener pastures CITATION Jim20 \l 1033 (Hwang, 2020). Upon moving to the United States, Jimmy’s parents pursued their dreams of gaining academic excellence in their unique professional fields, with the father becoming a medical doctor with a Ph.D. qualification for the same. The interview also reveals that despite being second-generation Chinese immigrants, Jimmy and his siblings have difficulties in speaking the Chinese language with their parents who are keen on persevering their cultural background and heritage by addressing their children in their native language while within ...