Fiction, Not Facts: An Exploration of How Asian Americans Are "Wedged" Between Whites and Racial Minorities in Education Research: A Qualitative Meta-Analysis

• In Event: 61.068 - MTCC Roundtable Session 23
  In Roundtable Session: 61.068-7 - Asian American and Pacific Islander Perspectives on Educational Policy and Practice

Abstract

Extant research and popular media attempting to problematize arbitrary categories and false dichotomies of Asian Americans often note that Asian Americans are “wedged” between Whites and racial minorities especially African Americans/Blacks and Hispanics/Latinos. However, the degree to which “wedging” transpires is empirically unclear. I argue that wedging could have dangerous implications for policy and practice, particularly if marginalized Asian-American students become political and cultural fodder in holding institutions accountable for achieving greater equitable practices for larger ethnic minority students. I analyzed 1,192 pages of text from 151 peer-reviewed academic articles in six K-12 and higher education journals. In a span of 10 years (2007-2016), four of the 151 articles (2.6%) reviewed specifically addressed in whole or in part Southeast Asian Americans.

Author

• Peter T Keo, University of Pennsylvania