5: Using the ABC’s Model to Understand Transcultural and Transgenerational Practices in a Multicultural Context

This chapter describes a study that explored how transgenerational and transcultural theories construct avenues for identity navigation. The prefix “trans” refers to moving beyond borders and leads to discussions about the nature of knowledge, language, and interactions. Building upon our individual doctoral assignments to study generation tandems using narrative inquiry, we applied the ABC’s model of cultural understanding and communication, which uses autobiography, biography, and cross‑cultural analysis and follows the “know thyself and understand others” paradigm. We began this study by first writing our autobiographies and interviewing seniors in our families who shared stories that marked social, political, and intergenerational differences, and then we connected the four narratives. With participants from Iran and Kosova, this study marks how social and political contexts have dictated events in individuals’ lives. The study further highlights the importance of research methodologies that allow individuals to understand themselves and others and demonstrates the importance of intergenerational dialogue in a multicultural context.