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Multicultural Resource Project

Asian American & Asian Pacific Islander Identity

E-Resources:

• Recommended Asian American Websites
  http://www.public.iastate.edu/~savega/asian_am.htm

  This list includes selected Asian American web resources useful for academic research and information purposes. Only Web sites that are reflective of Asian American realities were considered; sites that are exclusively Asian in origin or focus are only rarely included. Recommended Web sites listed below were evaluated for breadth, perceived authority, stability, usefulness, and accuracy.

Media Resources:

• Slaying the dragon. C. C. L. O. (Writer) (1987).

  Slaying the Dragon is a comprehensive look at media stereotypes of Asian and Asian American women since the silent era. From the racist use of white actors to portray Asians in early Hollywood films, through the success of Anna May Wong's sinister dragon lady, to Suzie Wong and the geisha girls, to the Asian-American anchorwoman of today, this fascinating videotape shows how stereotypes of exoticism and docility have affected the perception of Asian-American women. Produced by Asian Women United, this invaluable resource has been widely used by universities and libraries.

   

Books, Book Chapters, & Journal Articles:

• Espiritu, Y. L. (1992). Asian American panethnicity : bridging institutions and identities. Philadelphia: Temple University Press.

  With different histories, cultures, languages, and separate identities, most Americans of Chinese, Japanese, Filipino, Korean and Vietnamese origin are lumped together and viewed by other Americans as simply as Asian Americans.

• Lee, S. J. (1996). Unraveling the "model minority" stereotype : listening to Asian American youth. New York: Teachers College Press.

  Stacey Lee examines the development of ethnic/racial identity among Asian American students within the context of race relations at a public high school and within the larger society. Lee explores how the stereotype that Asian Americans are all high achievers affects these students and their relationships with other racial groups.

• McEwen, M. K., Kodama, C. M., Alvarez, A. N., Lee, S., & Liang, C. T. H. (Ed.). (2002). Working with Asian American College Students (Vol. 97): Jossey-Bass.

  This issue represents a coordinated effort to link the historical, theoretical, and applied literature on Asian American college students. Leading off this volume, three undergraduate Asian American students share their experiences in college. In subsequent chapters, authors highlight the diversity of Asian American college students, analyze the "model minority" myth and the stereotype of the "perfidious foreigner," and point out the need to consider the racial identity and racial consciousness of Asian American students.

  Various authors propose a model of Asian American student development, address issues of Asian Americans who are at education risk, discuss the importance of integration and collaboration between student affairs and Asian American studies programs, and offer strategies for developing socially conscious Asian American student leaders. Two authors who wrote about Asian American college students in 1987 reflect on the preceding chapters and provide suggestions for more effective work with Asian American students. Concluding the volume is an extensive list of resources, ranging from associations and media to policy reports and landmark scholarly works.

• Takaki, R. T. (1998). Strangers from a different shore : a history of Asian Americans (Updated and rev. , 1st Back Bay ed.). Boston: Little Brown.

  This book chronicles the history of social conditions for Asian Americans in the United States.

• Wu, F. H. (2001). Yellow : race in America beyond Black and white. New York, NY: Basic Books.

  Wu examines affirmative action, globalization, immigration, and other controversial contemporary issues through the lens of the Asian-American experience. Mixing personal anecdotes, legal cases, and journalistic reporting, Wu confronts damaging Asian-American stereotypes such as "the model minority" and "the perpetual foreigner." By offering new ways of thinking about race in American society, Wu's work dares us to make good on our great democratic experiment.