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In the 20th century, jazz music spread throughout global culture like few other musical forms. Over the 40-year period in which jazz was assimilated into French culture, myths about the origin of jazz played an important role in the discourse surrounding the music. By examining both how these myths functioned in the discourse and examining how they changed over time depending on cultural circumstances, this article shows how writers increasingly used jazz etiologies and writing on the importance of New Orleans to the history of jazz to bridge the cultural gap and to make a French connection with jazz music, so that the enjoyment of it could be experienced as authentically French. From early abstract expressivist origins, to the latter strategic deployment of these myths as a feature of New Orleans revivalism, this discourse played an important role in the integration of jazz into French cultural identity. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

One year after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, we assessed 82 adults from a population-based sample of the Vietnamese American community who had participated in a larger study of immigration weeks before the disaster. Although 21% met criteria for partial posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), only 5% of the sample met all PTSD criteria. Avoidance/numbing symptoms did not form a coherent cluster and were seldom confirmed, but intrusion, arousal, and interference were common. Severity of exposure to the floodwaters, property loss, and subjective trauma were independently related to PTSD symptoms. Symptoms were highest among participants who were low in acculturation or who had high Katrina exposure in combination with prolonged stays in transition camps during emigration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a cultural analysis of culture practiced by Brazilian immigrants in New Orleans, Louisiana (NOLA). The author observes that Brazilian immigrants in the city easily become both retentionist and assimilationist. In fact, she can see numerous cultural and social environments that allow an increase in networking and preservation of Brazilian traditions like the hosting of private churrascos in Brazilian homes. She hypothesizes that one reason why Brazilian immigrants can easily self-identify with the traditions of the city is because of the common practice of street parades.

Young people from refugee backgrounds face enormous challenges in the settlement process within Australia. They must locate themselves within a new social, cultural, geographic and adult space, yet also try to find security within the spaces of their own families and ethnic communities. Traumas of the past can mix with painful experiences of the present. The stressors in the lives of these young people can be both complex and diverse. This paper explores the nature of these stressors among young people from refugee backgrounds living in Australia. It is based on in-depth interviews with 76 young people from refugee backgrounds now living in Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth. A qualitative analysis of the impact of these stressors as well as the coping strategies employed are discussed It is argued that trauma exists within a life continuum and that approaches to supporting young people in these circumstances should be wary of limiting their focus to biomedical categories such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or Acculturation Stress and instead focus on a wider social context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study employs 1990 U.S. Census data to examine possible sources of a high rate of endogamy among Louisiana Cajuns. It suggests that a continuing high level of in-group marriage in this ethnicity is surprising given the group's long residence in the U.S., the ethnic diversity of southwestern Louisiana, and the group's cultural assimilation. The study uses logistic regression to examine predictors of endogamous or exogamous marriage patterns among Louisiana couples containing at least one Cajun partner. The findings suggest that ethnic endogamy is promoted in part by socioeconomic homogamy among members of this group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerous studies have used the assimilation perspective to describe ethnic groups in the United States. No study, to date, has examined the assimilation pattern of the traditional Cajun community in southwest Louisiana. Drawing on published information, this study compares indicators among the Cajun region, Louisiana, the South, and the nation in 1930 and in 1980. The results document increasing cultural and structural assimilation at the secondary level (economic and educational institutions) into the larger society, while preserving several key features of Cajun ethnicity. Additional results suggest that the increasing levels of urbanization and industrialization in the region had an important role in this assimilation pattern. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]