Navigating Race and Class Hierarchies in School: Becoming Asian in Southern California

• In Event: 3181 - Section on Asia and Asian America Refereed Roundtable Session
  In Refereed Roundtable 100min: Table 02. Education and Schooling

Abstract

My research asks: How does internalized racism exist for Asian Americans? When does ethno-racial identity become secondary to pan-ethnic identity for American-born Asians? Orange County, California is home to the third largest Asian American population in the US. Six years of ethnographic research and interviews with 89 second generation Vietnamese in Southern California, I find that the second generation are more likely to embrace “being Asian” not only for the stereotype of academic achievement but Asian also symbolizes particular economic hierarchies. This finding differs markedly from the work of Kibria and others who finds that among second generation Asian American immigrants typically use strategies of disidentification to highlight ethnonational identity. I find that the class value of being “Asian” creates social distance between themselves, their working-class background, recently arrived co-ethnics, and other minority immigrant students in schools. This has material implications; by becoming Asian in the light of the educational institution they both earn advantages and suffer disadvantages. Institutionally, it cuts Vietnamese off from affirmative action policies and special programming; at the same time, they are beneficiaries of positive stereotyping institutionally by counselors and teachers. This denies the history of colonialism, linguistic isolation, war, and mental health issues that exist in the community. Internalizing the model minority myth and passing as Asian is a strategy used by the second generation to create economic uplift and social distance from minority others. This study highlights how intra-ethnic and inter-ethnic racism and internalized racism may take form for particular Asian immigrants in majority-minority contexts.

Author

• Jennifer Huynh, University of Notre Dame