Cambodian American 1.5 Generation Oral History Project
| Cambodian American 1.5 Generation Oral History Project | |
|---|---|
| Held by | CamCHAP / Historical Society of Long Beach |
| Scope | 15 oral history interviews with Cambodian Americans who were children under the Khmer Rouge, conducted in the Long Beach area |
| Language | English; Khmer |
| Subjects | Migration & Diaspora; History & Remembrance; Family & Intergenerational Life |
The Cambodian American 1.5 Generation Oral History Project (CAOH) is a collection of 15 oral history interviews with Cambodian Americans who were children when Cambodia was overtaken by the Khmer Rouge. The project was developed by Pacific Asian Counseling Services (PACS) and was funded by the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health through the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) as part of the Asian Pacific Islander Underserved Cultural Communities (API UsCC) capacity building projects. (Source)
Overview
The concept was first developed by Cambodia Town and implemented by PACS to incorporate a mental health perspective. The project defined the 1.5 generation as children born in Cambodia between 1963 and 1969 who came to the United States between 1980 and 1986. The interviews explore childhood before and after the Khmer Rouge, what was lost, the journey to the United States, and how the narrators adjusted to life in America.
One of the project goals was to explore the factors that contributed to survival, such as coping skills used to handle emigration and how trauma impacted well-being.
Material coverage
- 15 oral history interviews
- Photographs shared by narrators, also archived
- Recorded in the Long Beach area
- Languages: English and Khmer
Catalogue and access
The oral histories are housed at CamCHAP at the Historical Society of Long Beach. Interested individuals may access the oral histories by registering online with CamCHAP at hslb.org/visit/collections.