Memory Reconstruction and Cultural Identity: A Study on the Formation Mechanism of Cultural Nostalgia among Descendants of Chinese Immigrants in the Philippines

Abstract

As a special group in a cross-cultural context, the cultural nostalgia of descendants of Chinese immigrants in the Philippines is not a simple replication of their ancestral culture, but a dynamic cultural construction achieved through memory reconstruction in a discrete context. Based on theories of ethnic identity, cultural adaptation, and collective memory, this study uses in-depth interviews and case studies to conduct an empirical study of 60 descendants of Chinese immigrants in Manila and Cebu, Philippines, revealing the formation mechanism of their cultural nostalgia. The study finds that: the intergenerational transmission of discrete memories constitutes the historical genes of nostalgia; the ritualistic reconstruction of cultural practices builds the expressive carriers of nostalgia; identity games in cross-cultural interactions generate the emotional dynamics of nostalgia; and the memory activation of digital media expands the presentation dimensions of nostalgia. At the core of this mechanism, descendants of immigrants construct a cultural identity within the cultural field of their adopted country that combines the characteristics of their ancestral home with local adaptation through memory selection, reorganization, and meaning-assignment, providing a new perspective for understanding the cultural continuity of overseas Chinese communities.