Rebel Korean/Korean American Adolescents Talk Race

• In Event: Young Leaders of Today for Tomorrow

Abstract

Drawing on the transactional theory of reader response and Asian Critical Theory, this study forefronts the stories of five Korean/Korean American adolescents’ racialized experiences in the United States in an out-of-school book club discussion using Asian American middle grade and young adult literature. Specific research questions addressed in this study are, 1. What aspects of race, racism, and other forms of oppression do ethnic Korean adolescents identify in Asian American books that address issues of race and ethnicity? 2. During the critical book discussion of Asian American books, how do students’ stories counter or reproduce dominant narratives? Findings from the book club can be a tool to contest dominant narratives that essentialize Asian Americans within the U.S. society and education.

Author

• Ji Hyun Hong, University of Georgia