AMST 365 Midterm
What is the model minority myth? How did it originate?
The myth is the stereotypical perception that Asian cultural values of hard work, family cohesion, self-sufficiency, respect for education, and a drive for success. It originated from • Term first coined by William Petersen for NYTimes "success japanese American style" few months later US News and World Report "Success story of one minority group in the us" •So called positive stereotype, myth emerged during 1960s and founded in tense race politics of the civil rights era •this perception has propelled recent Asian immigrants into and beyond the American middle class within a generation or two •History olegacy of myth obscures legislative history of 1965 immigration act that permitted technically skilled professionals in fields such as medicine, engineering and scientific research to emigrate to the us from various Asian coutries (India and Pakistan) to fullfil a demand for these professional skills in the US ofamily reunification and diversity 5for Asians a model for whom? •In popular media of that era Asian American groups, partically Chinese and Japanese Amer. Were cast as successful, high-achieving, "good" minority and depiected as supposed model for African Americans and Latinax •At the time and today, the myth poses a quandary for Asian American groups struggling to claim a coalitional identity of the groups should claim the stereotype as positive
In addition to radicalized exclusions to citizenship and residency in the U.S., what additional legal challenges did Asian American women face?
Their perceived sexuality became a "valid" basis for exclusion from immigration. Usually denied admission into the U.S. In the rare occasion that they could immigrate, their class and citizenship status were defined by those of their male partners or fathers. Referred to as the concept of femme covert
Do Asian Americans attain success and educational achievement because of their culture? Explain why or why not?
There is a popular misconception that Asian American attain high levels of edu. and achieve success bc they hold the "right" cultural traits and values, but this argument is misguided as attributing poverty among the poor to their "wrong traits and values" Both poverty and privilege are rooted in structural, institutional, and historical disadvantage and advantage Line of reasoning also fails to acknowledge the pivotal role of US immigration law and patterns of Asian migration to the US
How does labor and work impact Asian American women in particular?
There was a societal expectation that A.A women would either partake in manufacturing work or domestic care work. Manufacturing work = warehouse work in "ultra competitive and increasingly globalized economy" Idea of economic exploitation Domestic care work = child care, elderly care, etc Care is not always directed towards A.A. families, but allows other demographics to enter the paid workforce instead Those who deviated from this norm were seen as abandoning their mothering responsibilities (even if they were the breadwinners).
What does it mean to say that race is an illusion and that it is profoundly real? Explain this in your own words.
Values, assumptions, and historical meanings that are attached to racial appearance Social and political construct Not bio. reality but based on one's cultural lens; still, race has real effects Markers of race are given social meaning through public policy and private action
Summarize Wu's points about adoption (in last paragraph).
Wu point's about adoption is that it represents a micro instance of American imperialism in Asia due to the implied power hierarchies. American parents viewed Asian girls as unwanted, presumably due to anti-female views that value boys more in Asia. However, Asian girls were also desired for their perceived docility and adaptability, which would make it easier to assimilate them to an American lifestyle.
Summarize Wu's explanation of the model minority (middle of second paragraph to the end of that para).
Wu's explanation of the model minority is that it celebrates heteronormative Asian American families as ideal minority. It focuses on their stability, work ethic and ability to transmit cultural capital. However, it also reinforces stereotypes through emasculation of Asian men and docile images of Asian women. The "Tiger Mom" image of women as hyper rigid and achievement oriented also views them as a taboo of "normal" American mothers.
What factors do account for Asian American success?
"some Asian immigrant groups are hyper-selected (they are doubly positively selected), not only more highly educated than their compatriots from their countries of origin who did not immigrate, but also more highly educated than the US avg."
Coldplay - Orientialism
*Orientalist* gurus - seems mystical Beyonce doing quasi-Indian dance use of henna can be seen as cultural appropiation and appreciation -outift is exaggerated Indians as objects not subjects *complicates* use of henna can be seen as cultural appropiation and appreciation realistic locations Beyonce's being black - tensions on anti-black racism
Bao
*Orientialist* chinese tai chi "dragon lady" mom no father cultural clash self-orientialist focus on food son as fragle *challenges* director is chinese - based on her experiences
Marie Kondo
*Orientialist* timeless simplicity Asian as mystic; otherworldly thought as a guide - art of declutter soft-spoken, prim translator *challenges* commidity culturally elements - Shinto (thanking everything, praying)
What are the radicalized and gendered suspicions that Asian American men and women face?
A.A men are viewed as terror suspects or aggressors particularly South Asian, West Asian, and Muslim men A.A women were suspected of feeding off of government welfare or cheating immigration through the use of anchor babies Anchor baby = used to refer to a child born to a non-citizen mother in a country which has birthright citizenship Makes it easier for parents to gain citizenship status
Regarding gender and sexuality, how did Asian Americans approach civic inclusion?
A.A. families and households had to transition from bachelor societies to typical American family centered households. A.A communities started as disproportionately masculine and sustained an extensive and exploitative prostitution economy, resulting in a lack of regular "nuclear families". This in addition to their clothing, their customs, and occupations, led to the perception of "deviant heterosexuality", which in turn contributed to racialization and marginalization by American society. A.A. people understood that this perception reinforced their exclusion. Thus, the A.A. civil rights campaign included assertion of sexual and gender normativity.
Orientalism - The intersection of Gender and Race
Cast as immutable, engendered, and inferior Gendered discourse Said calls it "engendered subordination": makes the pt the feminization of Asia occurs in tandem w/ its colonization Relies on constructing associations btw gender and race as a mechanism of colonial conquest. If you conceptualize the East as subordinate and weak, then it is easier to justify its conquest (East need "help" we can conquer) Engendered subordination •Male oAggressive - Hard, cruel, inhumane, martial oSubmissive - Soft, effeminate, weak •Female oAggressive - Dominating, dragon lady, violent, disciplined oSubmissive - Erotic, sexual object, desirable
What were the three largest ethnic Asian groups that came to the United States in the 1800s?
Chinese, Japanese, Indians
Orientalism - Imperialism as ideology
Composed a system of thought that supported a "western style for dominating and restricting and having authority over someone "inferior". Ex. Napoleon's conquest of Egypt in 1798 was ideological (produces/shapes knowledge) not just imperial (euro owning Asian lands and changing culture to Euro; Asia is inferior)
What is American Orientalism?
Drawn more from mass media and popular culture pov on Asians ex. Iggy Azalea "bounce" video seen as unable to assimilate -Doubling/splitting of an Orient into both an inside, represented by the Asian American "foreigner-within" who becomes an integral part of American racial order and an outside represented by those Asian nations
What are the three regions of Asia that are conventionally thought to comprise Asian America? Which region is the most recently included?
East, Southeast and South Asian
Orientalism - Othering
From Hippocrates, Alexander the great, Marco Polo, all the way up to discovery of Americas the so-called West has been establishing a set of attitudes towards Asia casting it as the "other" Specifically, these attitudes (dating back to 4th century) persist in how we understand Asia as "exotic, strange, barbaric, inscrutable, feminized, mystical, otherworldly, inhuman, alien" Conceived of as Europe's "other" the way Europe defines itself through contrast w/ Asia - an "other" that is wild, barbaric, heathen, and uncivilized and needs to be tamed by the west •This othering is multi-faceted oTemporal: Asia used as foil to highlight the progress of western civilization. As west develops Asia thought as outside of history and decontextualized. It's portrayed as timeless, static, agrarian, essential not progressive oRacial: "distorted lens" for stereotyping the East "feminized, weak, inferior"
What are the three main factors that spurred Asian migration to the United States in the 1800s?
Gold Rush Building of the Railroads Farming
Why is it important to have disaggregated data on Asian Americans?
Helps allocates resources that is needed to certain Asian American groups since not everyone is "succeeding" within the US
What are three of the director's main points in My America or Honk if You Love Buddha? Provide and elucidate examples.
Heterogeneity Class differences and aspirational differences of various gen. -immigrants vs first gen. (hard work vs passion) History/ historical origins of Asian solidarity and alliance
What is the relationship between gender roles and intergenerational conflict?
Immigrant parents tend to reinforce gender ideas from their home country to their American born children. However, American born children assert their desires to adopt the gender role of their peers.
Current largest immigrant group US? Asians become the largest immigrant group?
Latinos; 2055
What is Commodity Orientalism?
Objects and markers of Asian culture sold in western markets Objectification and de-historization of these objects as commodity Marketing of goods and products as type of self-orientalization (Chinese food as conscious shaping of Chinese culture for literal consumption, yoga, martial arts) Operates as an act "becoming Oriental" (rather object as commodity you can partake an exp. Of authenticity or cultural otherness)
What is Techno-Orientalism?
Racialized markers of "oriental" tech. advancements and power Fear of Asian technological markets overtaking US or "Western" markets Seen in part through the popularization of anime, K-pop, video games, and cyberpunk culture
Provide a multi-faceted definition of Orientalism: be able to explain at least 2 major facets of Orientalism in detail (colonial ideology, othering, intersection of race and gender).
Said defines it as "a western style for dominating, restructuring, and having authority over the Orient" aka Asians oSaid's "orient" was more about constructions of what we would call now the Middle East (not Asia per se)
What are the benefits and potential pitfalls of Asian American women's high rate of marrying outside of the race)? Summarize paragraph 3
The benefits of Asian American women's high rate of marrying outside of their race is that it help challenge laws and overturn anti miscegenation laws. They also led to a higher rate of media and film representation for A.A. women The potential pitfalls of these marriages is that cultures clashes that happen, stereotyping from both sides. In other words, they also reinforced ideals of white masculinity and Asian submissiveness
What are some of the problems with family reunification policies? What is heteronormativity?
The main problem is that the policies were rooted in heteronormative ideas of family. Heteronormativity refers to the idea that a binary gender system is dominant or natural. This means that LGBTQ families would have extreme difficulty using reunification policies as they deviated from this norm. Another problem was that women were defined legally in regards to the status of their male "counterpart". Enabled the vulnerability of women to domestic abuse, as they could not leave a relationship without losing their legal status
Regarding gender, what characterizes early Asian American studies?
characterized most early immigrants as working class male laborers or "cheap" labor. Because of 'racial otherness' and also social reproduction (social inequality between races) costs The few women that migrated were deemed as a form of 'sexual' or domestic labor. Usually portrayed as docile
What is the main argument that the director of My America or Honk if You Love Buddha makes regarding Asian America? Using at least 3 examples from the documentary, explain how she makes this argument.
oempathizes diversity of Asian America via region, generation, ethnicity, class ofocus on history WWII Internment Civil rights Black Power movement Colonialism (Burtanog sisters and Filipino Americans in the South as a result of Spanish colonialism) Examples *Burtanog Sisters* is an example of *generational,ethnicity and regional diversity* since their ancestors been at the US for several generations, their ethnicity is Filipino and residing within Lousiana which is unexpected since most people would believe Asians would live on the east or west coast *The Seoul (Park Brothers)* is an example of *ethnicity diversity* and individuals who is involve within *Black Power movement* since they're Koreans trying to show that they can be involve with entertainment (specifically rap) and not be the "stereotypcial" Asian American There is a generational diversity between the adults and kids specifically Alyssa Kang and her parents, since the adults at first would try to blend in American culture unlike the kids who would be active for equal rights.
Define Gender
refers to the "socially constructed nature of sex roles" Challenges biological understandings of masculinity and femininity Refers not to biological differences, but instead to what is socially expected of/projected on to different sexes
What is "queer domesticity"? What is "stranger intimacy"? What is significant about these two interventions?
refers to the atypical A.A. household makeups in the early 19th and 20th centuries. Instead of a husband, wife and children living together (a nuclear family), men would live together with acquaintances, co-workers, prostitutes, and occasionally children refers to how A.A. men would also form relationships with one another, or with men of other racial backgrounds These concepts are significant as they reframe the mostly male society not as bad, but as merely different, or experimental
Define gender as form of performativity
refers to the idea that gender is "enacted through . . . unconscious behaviors that create a preexisting identity for manhood or womanhood" In other words, people tend to act in ways (purposefully or not) that fit a pre-existing conception of manhood or womanhood Argues that there are "no stable categories of sex differences"
Why does it matter if we can identify Orientalism in popular representations and culture? You should be able to summarize key arguments that I highlighted in class from Mirror, Mirror, Tea, Tea by Sunaina Maira to answer this. Also, you should be able to use examples we discussed in class (Coldplay, Marie Kondo, Bao) to support your arguments.
we can see how mainstream media percieves Asian and Asian Americans and how much of it is stereotypical or not and if its context is cultural appropriation or appreciation whether or not if its an Asian American or other races representing Asian culture. One example would be Coldplay's music video "Hymn for the Weekend", another is Pixar's short film "Bao", and Marie Kondo as an individual
What are all the problems with the model minority myth? (Be able to name the various facets and explain them).
•*Homogenizes Asian American experience* (denies class diversity and obscures the diff. histories of immigration within broad category Asian American. Keeps policy markers from making careful, disaggregated policies since their assumption is that Asian Americans are successful and don't need help •*Its divisive* - the perception of Asian achievement have been used and was conceived to pit Asian Americans against African Americans and other minorities •*Denies the bamboo ceiling* - idea that Asian Americans may seen has hardworking and successful but not seen as leaders •*Based in the myth of American meritocracy* - reinforces false idea that you need hard work to succeed when finical and personal success is shaped by structures histories and legacies of racial oppression and exclusion •*Supports the stereotype that Asian Americans are passive, well-behaved* - racial others inculcated by the fiction of the "Confucian order" to be hardworking and submissive •*Creates mental health problems for Asian American youth* - creates unrealistic exp. and disproportionate pressures for Asian Amer. Youth to perform "naturally smart" role. reinforces taboos about mental illness within AAPI communities
What are the details of the Ozawa case?
•1922 Supreme Court case •Japanese man descent residing in US petitioned for naturalization •Citizenship was valuable bc meant you could own land. Laws governed who could or not become a citizen by racial categories. Citizens at this point be white or black •Argued should be allowed citizenship bc oSkin is white as any Caucasian oRace shouldn't be factor in det. Citizenship •Court ruled he couldn't be a citizen bc he is not white within the accepted meaning of the term only Caucasian
What are the details of the Thind Case?
•1923 supreme court case, follows after Ozawa case (approx. 3 months) •Indian descent, petitioned for citizenship on grounds that Indians were of the Aryan race, therefore Caucasian •Court ruled that white not scientifically det. But subjectively defined by the common's man understanding of whiteness •Refuted their own reasoning from prev. case which ruling that relied on scientific evidence
According to Slaying the Dragon Reloaded (2011), what are some stereotypes about Asian American women and men that still remain in the media? Which stereotypes in particular seem to still dominate?
•Asian Americans often portrayed as victims who needs to be saved •Men and women can be portrayed as vulnerable, passive, sensitive Or depicted as •The Dragon Lady: women are stereotyped as aggressive, martial, tough, ruthless, inhuman, tiger moms, callous •The nerd: men often seen as de-sexed and emasculated - unliked romantic leads
In the film, one speaker argues that there has been a "browning of faces but a continuing whitening of character" in Asian American representations in the media. What does this mean?
•Asian characters have few options, they confirm to stereotypes; pretend they're white; deny their nonwhite identity so that it becomes unremarkable oExamples - London Tipton (not showing any Asian, e-raced or unremarkable), Lara Jean (somewhat e-raced, To All of the Boys I Loved Before), Jessica Huang (dragon lady - Fresh off the Boat) •As scholars in film argue, the expectation requires one party to forget or omit who they are. In other words, these depictions also reinforce norms of whiteness- bc or these characters to be neutral, they have to be deracinated. • Racially ambiguous characters function tokenistically; they provide "color" without any threat or decentering the dominance of white characters
What does Slaying the Dragon Reloaded (2011) tell us about the history of Asian American female sexualization in the media? Where does this stereotype originate?
•Camptowns - recreation facilities that military soldiers resides during war time (Vietnam) and coexists w/ the Asian women within •Asian American women's exploitation and sexulization in media is a direct legacy of US wars in Asia (another ver. Of American. Orientalism) •Miltary origins and occupations of Asian countries give way to this idea of Asian women as available for recreation and use of American soldiers. •From this, the fantasy emerges that Asian women are sexual and submissive *by nature*
Lee and Zhou explain the nuances of how affirmative action impacts Asian Americans. Summarize their findings.
•First children (1.5 and second gen) of hyper-selected groups being their lives from more advantage "starting points" than the children of other immigrant groups (Mexican or native-born minorities) •Second, Chinese and other Asian immigrants are disappropiately highly educated, host society perceives that all Asian Americans as highly educated and high achieving and attributes their success by culture value and grit •Fallacious reasoning; it is akin to making generalizations about Americans based on only those who graduate from prestigious schools Affirmative action policies *do not allow institutions to est. racial quotas*. Rather give them the right to consider race as one of many factors - others include legacy, geographical location, first gen. econ. Many states banned affirmative action in admissions (Cali, Washington, Michigan, Nebraska, Ari, Oklahoma banned through voters' referenda. Florida banned by executive order_ Asian Americans categorized as one group - so the policies do not account for differences in advantage and privilege among the hyper-selected groups (Chinese and Koreans) vs less-advantage (Cambodians, Laotians, Hmong, Bangladeshis.) these latter groups exhibit higher drop out rates than African American *This work - along with other scholars thus argue for the need for disaggregated data on Asian Americans*
What are some guidelines to determine whether a popular cultural text is Orientalist or not?
•Is Asia being othered? Made into a object •Stereotypical constructions of Asian feminity/masculinity •Asia rep. for any reason? Or "othered" exotic/strange locale •Orientialist tropes present? Exoticism, static, timeless, poverty, colorfulness, ancient, strange, barbaric
How do portrayals of Asian American characters by Asian American independent filmmakers and in alternative media (like youtube) counter the traditionally stereotypical characters of Asians and Asian Americans in mainstream media?
•Media forms providing alt. platforms which Asian Amer. Become cultural producers •Social media provides more access to a variety and diversity of voices (in the most optimistic view of how it can work) •Effect might be that we see rep. on these platforms that are less stereotypical, allow more creative freedom
What do we learn about representations of Asian women in films in made by Asian American men?
•One hand, these films show male characters in more complex settings and contexts - they diversify the rep. of Asian American males that are out there. •On the other, as Asian American males start to assert themselves, one of the unfortunate consequences is female characters is not as complex and silencing them
What is the significance of these two legal cases in terms of what they tell us about race in the United States? In other words, what do these two cases demonstrate about our perceptions on race?
•Racial categories constructed by laws, social interaction and public policy •Racial categories not fixed •Laws are contradictory •Immigrants have enduring legacy in the US even though they are seen as racially unassimilable, foreigners •Culminate in Johnson-Reed Immigration act in 1924 and resided naturalization for South Asian
