Using Historical Ethnography to Study Asian American Student Movements

• In Event: Challenging Ahistoricism: Historical Methods in Critical Race Studies in Education

Abstract

Drawing on the historical ethnographic work of Hunter (2015) and counter storytelling by Solórzano and Yosso (2002), this study will demonstrate how race scholars in education can use historical ethnography in such a way to formalize and canonize the stories of communities of color through an ethnographic study of a campaign for safer schools in Philadelphia. Specifically, this study will investigate Asian American youth experiences with grassroot school reform.

To guide this project, I employ critical race studies (CRS). In education, Solórzano synthesized five key tenets of CRS as they relate to the field of education: Centrality and intersectionality of race and racism; Challenge to dominant ideology; Commitment to social justice; Centrality of experiential knowledge; Interdisciplinary perspective (Solórzano, 1997; Yosso & Solórzano, 2005). I use CRS to focus this study on the importance of race and highlighting oral histories as significant and valid data.

Although ethnography typically alludes to studying a contemporary community, I believe that ethnography can and should be used to study historical communities. Integrating oneself into the historical community, as one would with a contemporary community, will help researchers develop a deeper understanding of the underpinnings a community’s motivation and actions in the present day. Historical ethnography is not a widely-used methodology in education, however it has been used in anthropology. However, a cursory review of historical ethnographic anthropological studies often shows a disregard for the indigenous community’s voice the researcher is studying (Hunter, 2015). For this reason, I have used counter storytelling approach to provide a bridge between historical and contemporary ethnography. Counter-storytelling is “a tool for exposing, analyzing, and challenging the majoritarian stories of racial privileges [that] can shatter complacency, challenge the dominant discourse on race, and further the struggle for racial reform” (Solórzano & Yosso, 2002, p. 24-32).

Phenomological interviews were conducted with former students and community members involved with the campaign. Archival documents were collected from various archives and private collections. Data were inductively coded using an affective method (Saldaña, 2012). Coding focused on subjective qualities including emotions, values, judgements of the interviewee or document.

One theme to arise is the reframing of the narrative of the boycott and Asian American leadership and mentorship. Through the boycott, leaders emerged that are still engaged in the Asian American community and have pushed for more collaboration among other communities in the Philadelphia area. Rather than fall into model minority and forever foreign stereotypes, these leaders have pushed against what is expected of them as Asian Americans and led with a loud voice for racial justice. In interviews with me and media outlets, these students said that organized resistance was a significant part of their development to become civically engaged citizens and immigrants.

The students not only gave voice to a marginalized community’s history, but demonstrated the power of transformation resistance of Asian American students. By highlighting the ability of students to make change, we as scholars and practitioners can learn that Asian American youth development is more complicated and diverse than current research suggests.

Author

• Michael Ishimoto, University of California - Los Angeles