This thesis develops, applies and evaluates the concept of everyday hybridity in the analysis of interviews with a multiethnic sample of Hong Kong Muslim youth. The research asks if the lives of young Muslims in Hong Kong can be discussed through the concept of ‘everyday hybridity’ in response to existing sociological debate on hybrid identities and culture. The thesis critiques the existing debate on cultural hybridity and argues for a broader discussion on multicultural youth that moves beyond the existing focus on multiculturalism in the West. It offers an account of Muslim youth in a non-Western context and challenges a number of popular assumptions about them in the post 9/11 era. Everyday hybridity is proposed as a concept to discuss mundane themes of cultural hybridity that are often overlooked in the celebration of hybrid styles in youth research. It is developed through an analysis of works on cultural hybridity and everyday life sociology and operationalises the theory of cultural hybridity. Work on youth, multiculturalism, and Muslims as political minorities are used to identify key themes of everyday hybridity relevant for the research. The themes, language, space, and religious practice provide the focus for the discussion and analysis of the participant interviews. The analysis of the participant testimonies is used to argue that hybridity can be palpably represented in research and that it is a common and normal facet of life in multicultural communities. It demonstrates that young Muslims in Hong Kong value the freedom and safety they have despite the fact that many experience racism and are subject to government education policies that limit their employment prospects. As a result everyday hybridity provides a new way to understand Muslim youth in Hong Kong. This thesis concludes by assessing the contribution of the research to discussions on cultural hybridity, Muslim youth in Hong Kong, and the global focus on youth studies. The closing discussion outlines a number of policy suggestions; it argues that the everyday focus of the research provides a model to think broadly and sensitively about what young Muslims truly value about life in Hong Kong when striving to improve circumstances for them.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ADTP/253994 |
| Creators | Paul O'Connor |
| Source Sets | Australiasian Digital Theses Program |
| Detected Language | English |
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