Homogenization of Asian

Americans
Allison Li, Emily Huynh, Elise Munerman, Rino Watanabe, Laila Weatherly
Definitions
Homogenization: the process of making uniform in composition or
structure throughout
Asian: a native or inhabitant of Asia/person of Asian descent
Asian-American: an American of Asian descent
Affirmative Action:an active effort to improve the employment or
educational opportunities of members of minority groups and women
Pan-ethnic: political term used to group various ethnic groups together
based on related cultural origins
Census Information

● Critical Race Theory

suggests that individual/
group identities are much
more complex
History of the term “Asian-American”
● 1968- University of California, Berkeley students Yoji Ichioka and Emma Gee coined the term Asian American
○ The term replaced the words “oriental” and “yellow”
○ Activism
● 1960s Yellow Power movement
● Pan Asian identity took time to catch on
● Complicated Solution to the problem of identity
● Political identity
● More essential than ever due to vast diversity of immigrants from Asia and their descendants
What is the commonality here?
 Side Note: US census definition differs from others that include the Middle East/parts of
Europe. Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander is listed as a separate ethnic category since
2000.

What does it mean to be Asian American according to the USFG?

East asia
Including, but not limited to:
Tibet, Taiwan, China, Japan,
Mongolia, N&S Korea

South Asia
Including, but not limited to:
Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Pakistan,
Nepal, Sri Lanka

Southeast Asia
Including, but not limited to: Myanmar,
Cambodia, Indonesia, Vietnam,
Philippines, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore,
Thailand
 Important to note:
● The continent of Asia alone has almost 4.5 billion people,
more than half of the world’s 7.8 billion.
○ Incredibly diverse cultures and religions
● Over 2,000 different languages are spoken
● 48 countries (according to UN)
Asian American demographics
● In 2017, 5.6% of the US population was identified as “Asian alone”- over 18 million people
○ This increases to 6.9% if we include “multiracial Asian Americans”
○ Separately, 0.2% was identified as “Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone”.
○ 66% are foreign born
● Asian American population grew 46% between 2000 & 2010
● As of 2012, largest Asian American demographics were:
○ 22% Chinese American, 19% Filipino, 18% Indian, 10% Vietnamese, 9% Korean, 7% Japanese, 15% “other”
○ 56% of Asian Americans reside in California, New York, Texas, New Jersey, or Hawaii
● 65% of Asian Americans in their 30’s have a college degrees
○ How does this contribute to Asian American stereotypes?
 DO these statistics lend to the idea of a single “Asian
American identity”?

Specific Asian American demographics- diverse

backgrounds (mostly ACS census data)
● In 2015, 62% of US refugees came from Asia. An astounding 41% of these people came from
Myanmar.
● Largest population of undocumented Asian immigrants is Indian. (2014)
● 65% Asian Americans in 30’s have college degree
○ BUT 70% of Indians, vs 26% Vietnamese Americans.
● On average, Indian Americans make $38,000 more per year than Korean Americans
○ 1 in 5 Hmong and Bangladeshi Americans live in poverty
● In 2016, the (high school) “drop out rate” was 2% for Asian Americans as a whole
○ BUT almost 30% for Burmese Americans
Harvard Affirmative Action Scandal
● Students for Fair Admissions vs. Harvard (2014)
a. Group of Asian Americans sue Harvard for having cap on number of
Asian American admissions -> discriminate against Asian Americans
■ Led by white man
b. (October 2019) Harvard win case - no signs of racial bias
c. Might appeal case - end up at Supreme Court
■ Conservative justices -> might outlaw affirmative action
Harvard Affirmative Action Scandal
● Controversy
a. Affirmative action - try to weigh applications for marginalized groups
->create fair representation of different ethnicities in student body
b. Quota for “Asians”
■ Group all asians together - quota not proportional to number of
different groups of asians
■ Issue of seeing “Asians” as one type of ethnicity -> bc of quota
admissions not truly representative of different types of asians
c. Balance fair representation
Defeat of the Washington
Affirmative Action Referendum
● Initiative 1000
● Opponents of affirmative action led by group of Chinese immigrants
○ Supported by primary Asian organizations
■ American Coalition for Equality; Washington Asians for Equality; Bellevue
Chinese Chamber of Commerce
● “21st century chinese exclusion act that would “bring back different rules for different races.”
○ Asian Penalty
● Have the power to voice their opinions
○ More than 300 Asian Americans at committee meeting to voice their opposition
○ “For many Asian-Americans who mobilized against the Washington ballot initiative,”
she says, “it was their first participation in American politics. In the 19th century we had
the Chinese Exclusion Acts. In the 21st, we are fighting a modern Asian Exclusion Act.”
● Lost in all but 4 counties in Washington
Homogenization and
Health metrics
Problem: Many studies
aggregate Asian-Americans
when reporting health metrics

● What it means
● What it looks like
Homogenization and Health Metrics
Long-term Impacts

● Inaccurate forecasting processes

○ Geographic pockets with poorer health
● Underestimate certain ethnic groups’ needs (PI)

Need earlier screening and frequent monitoring

Power dynamics & history

Historical inter-Asian conflicts have created

separate Asian-American identities.

 Power Dynamics & History
● Partition of India- 1947
○ Division of British India into Pakistan and Republic of India along
religious lines.
○ Highly organized Hindu-Muslim violence. Death toll is 200,000-2
million.
○ Religious feuds dominate Indian politics today.
○ How did/does this affect Indian and Pakistani Americans?
Power Dynamics and History: WWII Era

Japan as an Axis Power

● Nanking Massacre
● Vietnamese famine
of 1945

Destroyed Railway Station in

Shanghai, Aug 1937 Severely malnourished village
children in Hải Hậu
Power Dynamics and History: WWII Era

Japanese Internment, Anti-Japanese Sentiment

○ Caused by spread of anti-Chinese

sentiment
○ Public school segregation
○ Prohibiting land
purchase/sharecropping
Case Studies

● Islamophobia in US post 9/11

○ Increase in hate crimes in US against Muslims (many from Asia) following the attack
○ Multiple Indian and Pakistani Americans were killed or injured for simply looking
“Muslim or Arab” whether or not they actually were. Generally South Asian looking
people became a target.
● Murder of Balbir Singh Sodhi
○ Arizona, September 15, 2001: Sohdi was an Indian American shot and killed outside
of the gas station he owned. He was a Sikh man who the shooter profiled to be
Arab/Muslim. The shooter was reported saying he was “going out to shoot some towel
heads” the day of the attack.
 Case Studies
● 23&Me
○ No distinction between Northern and Southern Chinese
○ Genetics based on only 76 Koreans, yet there are more than 7
million in the world
○ Asian data based on only 1368 individuals vs. 6421 European
individuals
● Murder of Vincent Chin (June 23, 1982)
○ Chinese American Man mistaken for being Japanese at a time
when autoworkers in Detroit were being laid off
○ Realization that people of Asian descent could be killed whether
they were Japanese of not
○ National Movement brought together Asian Americans
UW Student Survey

Questions:

1. How would you define “Asian American”? (*How would you define
“American”?)
2. Do you personally identify as “Asian American”?
3. How do you feel when you hear the term “Asian American”?
4. How has this label impacted your identity or your health? Do you see
any consequences of using this label?
 Responses & Results
*Respondents varied in their definitions of “American”*

1. How would you define “Asian American”?

● “Someone who is part American and part Asian”
● “‘Asian’ is a race… ‘American’ is a nationality”
● “Someone who has biological ancestry to Asia but grew up in America or has
experienced/assimilated into American culture”
● “A person whose grandparents are at least Asian...further than that, then they are not Asian
American”

1*. How would you define “American”?

● “A culture....someone who assimilated into American culture or grew up in America”

● “Someone who has U.S. citizenship or is a permanent resident”
 Responses & Results
*Respondents varied in their definitions of “American”*

2. Do you personally identify as “Asian American”?

● Majority answered “Yes”

● A few respondents answered “Partially” → Some would primarily identify as “American”
(not born in Asia and grew up in America) or “Half-Japanese” (mixed race) or “Korean”
(people who were born in Asia but grew up in the U.S.)

3. How do you feel when you hear the term “Asian American”?

● Majority felt “neutral”

● Some felt “uncomfortable,” “trapped,” or “not accurately represented”
 Responses & Results
*Respondents varied in their definitions of “American”*

4. How has this label impacted your identity or your health? Do you see any consequences of using
this label?

● “Solidified their identity... helped them realize over time what makes ‘Asian Americans’ different
from ‘Americans’”
● “Made them think more consciously about stereotypes and whether they align with this label →
when they didn’t, it made them question the validity of their identity and whether they were
reaching society’s expectations for them”
● “Sometimes impacted their mental health since they felt unsafe at times using this label and felt
as if they should present themselves as ‘American’ as possible rather than ‘Asian American’”
● “Felt underrepresented and the issues they were facing were overshadowed by the narrative
being written for ‘Asian Americans’ as one homogeneous group”
 Why is this issue important?
● Asian Americans are the fastest-growing racial group in the U.S.
● Need to bring awareness to the diversity among Asians (ethnic groups, cultures, histories,
languages, religions, experiences in America, etc.)
○ Otherwise, we risk homogenizing them and undermining issues that certain groups face
both within their country and against other Asian countries (past & present)
○ Address the detrimental effects of homogenizing them on health outcomes
■ (ex. They are undersampled in clinical research, and there is a lack of medical
resources (preventative health measures) for certain ethnic groups that are of
higher risks for diabetes and cardiovascular diseases)
● Need to expand the conversation beyond the underrepresentation of Asian Americans in
management, public office, and the media (equally important as all other issues)
Why is this issue important?
● Emphasize greater focus on targeted outreach so Asian Americans have more accurate
representation in data (ex. poverty) AND equitable access to social services and other
resources to improve their well-being
● Bring awareness to social barriers, particularly prejudice that contribute to their worser
health outcomes (ex. lack of sufficient translation services in larger surveys that could provide
more accurate data; lack of culturally competent physicians)
● Need to address how the label “Asian American” is too broad in some cases to actually be of
use
○ Varying definitions of who is “American” and who isn’t
○ Not everyone fits under this umbrella term → it undermines the experiences of Asian
immigrants to America who tried/are trying to gain citizenship (many experience
language and cost barriers → parents fear deportation under Trump
Discussion Questions
1. Is establishing a quota an effective way of ensuring fair representation of
minorities? Is it valid for the group of Asians to be frustrated at Harvard?
2. Is “Asian American” a representative or accurate label? What are the positives
and negatives of using this label? Are there any alternatives?
3. How do you feel about the census definition and use of Asian American? Should
it be changed, and if so, how can we make it better?
4. “Asian” is grouped; European countries are more specific. How/ why did that
happen?
5. In what ways can we modify affirmative action to account for separate Asian
identities?
 Sources
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