Asian American Experience Flashcards
Why is Oriental is a Bad Word
It brings up unfortunate chapters in our global history
It has problematic racial and political connotations
It’s more appropriately used for inanimate objects
What myths does the model minority myth rely on?
Exceptional Educational Achievements
Phenomenal Economic Upward Mobility
What are criticisms of the model minority myth?
Primary purpose is to support and strengthen the notion that the main cause of economic and social problems among racial minorities is a lack of effort, rather than discrimination / racism.
Assists to align racial minority groups against one another.
It divert attention away from those who have downwardly mobile.
Distracts attention from the fact that more established Asian ethnic groups are still the victims of various forms of discrimination.
Income in the model minority myth
A high percentage of urbanization (higher cost of living) among Asians. Compare family income of people who live in the same city.
Sojourners
Immigrants who intend to return to their country.
Chinatown
Chinatowns offered safety of urban anonymity and neighborhoods where culture could be maintained / ‘invisible minority’
Chinatowns became the economic, cultural and social centers of the community
Provided social and welfare services
Associations / Tong wars
General Similarities in Asian cultures
Stresses group membership over individual self-interest
Loyalty to group, conformity to societal expectations, and respect for one’s superiors
Stresses sensitivity to the opinions and judgments of others
Avoiding public embarrassment / Saving face
Patriarchal (i.e., dominant male / subordinate female)
Gentlemen’s Agreement
Anti-Japanese campaign
San Francisco School Board orders a separate school for Orientals
Compromise between Japan and the U.S.
Repeal school segregation
Government of Japan would issue passports to the U.S. only to non-laborers; laborers who lived in America but had been visiting Japan; the wives, parents, and children of those who had settled in America
Alien land law
During the early 1900s, the Japanese moved increasingly into agriculture (West Coast)
Sense of threat
Act did not specifically mention any nationality / prohibited ownership by those who were ‘ineligible to citizenship.’
Registered their land in the names of their children or trusted American friends
The Emergency Quota Act of 1921
established a quota for many countries denied a quota for Japan
Japanese Internement
The aerial attack on Pearl Harbor led to a declaration of war against Japan (1941)
President Franklin Roosevelt issues Executive Order 9066 (1942)
The first stage removed people from their homes to hastily prepared assembly centers / Second stage moved to relocation centers (concentration camps)
Legal Issues: Military necessity v. Racism
1988: Congress passed a reparation bill / formal apology / a tax-free payment of about $20,000 (60,000 surviving detainees)
Cultural Assimilation in asian americans
The degree of acculturation varies from group to group. Japanese Americans are probably the most acculturated of the Asian American groups.
Secondary structural assimilation in asian americans
Asian Americans are highly urbanized / less concentrated in the central city neighborhoods / a large number are moving into the suburbs of metropolitan areas
Asian Americans compare favorable with societywide standards for education achievement (differences exists)
Jobs and Income: As a single category, Asian Americans have achieved success and equality (differences exists / closer examination warranted)
Second generation Chinese immigrants
The second generation was much more influenced by the larger culture
They looked beyond the enclaves to fill their needs
Educational and occupational pursuits
What were some push and pull factors for Chinese immigration?
Push: Colonization
Pull: Gold Rush (1849) Transcontinental Railroad (1860s)
