There are many factors in determining the Asian identity and Asian culture. First history, socioeconomics, and sociological factors must be examined. It is these three factors that truly make a decision for the Asian identity and Asian culture we will be discussing below. There is a wide range of information to determine the Asian culture. In fact there are several different forms of Asian culture as there are separate countries that Asian Americans come from. Someone from Thailand most likely has a different Asian identity than a Japanese Asian American.
First let's take a look at the primordial or essentialist perspective. This is an argument for ethnic identity that can be applied to the Asian identity we are trying to piece together. Primordial means that the Asian identity a person has is something they are born with. In other words it is going to be instinct or natural patterns that form this Asian identity. It makes this part of the person hard to change. This is partly where the Asian culture comes in. There are markers in Asian culture that will determine the primordial ethnic identity.
Situational perspective is another avenue to pursue in understanding Asian identity as well as Asian culture. As the name suggests situational is about phenomena. In other words what boundaries were in place during the Asian culture advancement into the 21st century? It is these boundaries that can change as history, the present, and future occur. A certain Asian culture that is on a remote island may differ from the same ethnic grouping that is found on a busier island.. This is truly what forms the Asian identity.
There is another part to the Asian identity that must be discussed. Identity comes from genetic markers as well as the world around the person. There is also resurgent ethnic identity that allows for the traditional and ancestral identities to appear. In other words circumstances that may have occurred in the past can influence ones identity a hundred or even two thousand years later. World War II is a good example of the changes to ones culture that can occur and change identity of the person. During the war many things occurred, especially discrimination based on fear in the US.
A parent that was alive during that time may not wish to remember things that may have happened to them, but the child wishes to know. On the other hand the parent may want the child to remember something about their heritage that they don't particularly care to know.. It is all in how the person is raised, the environmental factors as well as the primordial.
More Info - http://www.asian-nation.org/assimilation.shtml