The Making of Asian America: A History

In the 21st century, the media declared “the rise of Asian Americans” (373). Asian Americans were once perceived as “inassimilable and racially inferior foreigners” to an economic powerhouse (373). However, the situation is far more complex because there are “persistent inequalities and disparities among Asian Americans” which, at times, rely “on a new and divisive language or racism’ (373). Indeed, both ends of the socioeconomic spectrum feature Asian Americans, as the 2010 census data reveals. For example, more than 15% of Cambodian families live in poverty compared to 10.5% of the total US population.

Asian Americans are typically viewed as “the model minority” (374). At times, they are seen as competing with whites, especially at elite academic institutions. They are also contrasted with African and Latin Americans. In this context, “African American poverty has been increasingly explained as the byproduct of a dysfunctional culture with delinquent family values” instead of focusing on a slowing economy, deteriorating urban environments, and institutional discrimination (375). “Culture” is a new way to explain racist concepts of group inferiority and superiority. Ignoring institutional factors, “the cultural explanations for success and failure treat culture in the same way that we used to talk about race”—something that is permanent and heritable (381).