Abstract
This thesis explores hip hop culture and its impact on Filipino American cultural identification and other constructs of acculturation, specifically if active participation in hip hop culture increases affiliation to heritage Filipino culture. This study builds on findings from qualitative studies and empirically tests them with a survey sample. Using a modified Asian American Multidimensional Acculturation Scale, the researcher used a cross-sectional survey design to measure the point-in-time demographic information, level of hip hop participation, and level of acculturation among a small sample of 50 Filipino American respondents, ages 18 and older. Results showed that active participation in hip hop culture is positively associated with increase affiliation towards a general heritage Filipino culture. Specifically, hip hop dance culture and hip hop streetwear participants have significantly higher Cultural Identity scores compared to nonparticipants. There is significant history between Filipino Americans and hip hop culture, often tied with discussions to community and identity building, cultural diaspora, identity erasure, and colonial mentalities. Bicultural Filipino Americans may be engaged with continuous negotiations on what it means to be Filipino American in the United States. Social workers can increase their cultural competency by using a critical perspective on how colonial and migration histories and black-white racial dichotomies within the US impact diasporic populations and how they culturally identity and form attachments to both host and heritage cultures.