A Study on Daily Practices and Subjectivity in Central Plains Culture Identity among University Students in Henan, China
List of Authors
Joanna Tjin Ai Tan, Tian Yuxia, Yeok Meng Ngeow
Keyword
Central Plains Culture Identity; Daily Practices; Subjectivity; Transformative Identity; Creative Transformation; university Students in Henan Universities
Abstract
This study takes practical theory and subjectivity theory as the analytical framework, adopts qualitative research methods, and explores the daily practices and subjectivity construction process of Central Plains Culture identity among university students in Henan universities through in-depth interviews, participatory observation and diary studies. The findings indicate that university students have formed a generative "transformative identity" through practical approaches including narrative reconstruction, creative transformation and tension adjustment. At the narrative dimension, students integrate personal life history with traditional cultural symbols to reconstruct the meaning of cultural identity. At the practical dimension, they realize the creative transformation of Zhongyuan culture through forms such as digital creation, cultural and creative design and artistic performance. In the process of identity construction, students effectively mediate the tensions between tradition and modernity, as well as collectivism and individualism by virtue of strategies like situational identity and selective integration. This study reveals the complexity and creativity of youth cultural identity, provides a new perspective for understanding the micro-mechanisms of cultural inheritance, and offers implications for educators to consider how to support students' cultural creativity.