Asian American Studies Final

Intersectionality

The concept that individuals experience multiple forms of oppression or privilege simultaneously, based on their intersecting identities such as race, class, gender, sexuality, and more. In Asian American Studies, intersectionality highlights how different factors like race, class, and gender create unique challenges and opportunities for various subgroups within the community

Combahee River Collective

Letters from Home?

Relationality

Understanding relationships and interactions between different groups, such as between Asian Americans and Black communities. It emphasizes recognizing how these groups are racialized differently and how they can build solidarity through mutual understanding and trust

• analytics

• thinking about gender in relationship to race and class, ability and citizenship status

• thinking about the ways in which race and gender in itself are never these concrete facts

“Girlness” Comic

American exceptionalism

The belief that the United States is inherently unique and superior to other nations. In Asian American Studies, this concept can be linked to the idea of "Asian American exceptionalism," where Asian Americans are perceived as a model minority, which can mask structural barriers and reinforce stereotypes

Transnational adoption and imperialism

Particularly from Asia, has been critiqued as a form of imperialism, reinforcing Orientalist stereotypes and perpetuating racial and gender hierarchies. It often involves the commodification of children from less powerful countries, reflecting broader power dynamics of imperialism

• “First Person Plural”

• Korean War Brides

Reproductive Care Work

Refers to labor involved in caring for others, such as childcare, elderly care, and healthcare. In Asian American contexts, this work is often performed by women and is crucial for supporting families and communities, though it is frequently undervalued and underpaid

•  care work (transnational), parenting, “Aunties” 

• Aunty Sewing Squad

Reproductive vs. Productive Labor

Reproductive labor involves unpaid or underpaid work in the private sphere, such as domestic chores and childcare, which supports the workforce but is not directly compensated. Productive labor, in contrast, generates goods and services with monetary value. This distinction highlights gendered divisions in labor and the exploitation of women's work

• Phillipines

Refugee migration vs refugee migration vs immigration

• Involves individuals fleeing their home countries due to persecution or danger, seeking international protection

• Generally refers to the voluntary movement of people from one country to another for various reasons, such as economic opportunities or family reunification.

• is a specific type of forced migration.

• refuge migration : international adoptees and war brides 

Transnational Family

Those with members living in different countries, often maintaining connections across borders. In Asian American Studies, this concept explores how families navigate cultural, economic, and emotional ties across national boundaries

• Philippines

Filipino overseas contact workers

Migrant workers who travel abroad for employment, often in sectors like healthcare or domestic work. Their remittances are crucial for the Philippine economy, but they face challenges related to labor rights and family separation.

Chinese Exclusion Act

1882 was the first federal law to restrict immigration based on nationality, banning Chinese laborers from entering the U.S. for ten years. It was later extended and not repealed until 1943, reflecting anti-Asian racism in U.S. immigration policy.

Immigration Act of 1924

This act established quotas for immigration based on national origin, significantly limiting immigration from Southern and Eastern Europe and completely excluding immigrants from Asia. It reinforced racial and ethnic biases in U.S. immigration policy.

Immigration Act of 1965

Also known as the Hart-Celler Act, this law abolished the national origins quota system, allowing for increased immigration from non-European countries. It had a profound impact on Asian American demographics and community growth.

Immigration Act of 1990

This act increased the total number of immigrants allowed into the U.S. and created new categories for immigration, including family reunification and employment-based visas. It further diversified the Asian American population.

H-1B and H-4 Visas

• A non-immigrant visa for specialty occupations, often used by tech workers from Asia.

• For spouses of H-1B visa holders, with limited work authorization.

Cultural assilimation and the second generation experience in Hmong communities

Refers to the process of adopting the dominant culture of a new country. For Hmong Americans, this involves navigating between traditional Hmong practices and American culture, often leading to complex identity formation among second-generation Hmong Americans.

mutual aid-definition and history

Involves reciprocal support within communities, often based on shared needs and resources. Historically, it has been crucial for marginalized communities, including Asian Americans, to provide support and solidarity in the face of systemic inequalities.

Japanese American internment

During World War II, the U.S. government forcibly relocated and interned over 120,000 Japanese Americans, citing national security concerns. This event is a significant example of racial discrimination and xenophobia in U.S. history.

Imperialism

Refers to the extension of a country's power and influence through colonization or other forms of control. In Asian American Studies, imperialism is relevant for understanding historical and ongoing impacts of U.S. expansionism on Asian countries and communities.

Colonialism

Involves the domination of one country by another, often resulting in the exploitation of resources and labor. It has shaped the experiences of many Asian Americans, particularly in contexts like Hawaii.

settler colonialism

A form of colonialism where settlers establish a new society in a colonized territory, often displacing indigenous populations. This concept is relevant for understanding the historical and ongoing impacts of U.S. expansionism on Native American and Pacific Islander communities.

US colonialism in Hawaii

Refers to the annexation and subsequent statehood of Hawaii, which involved the displacement and marginalization of Native Hawaiians. This history continues to influence contemporary issues related to land rights and cultural preservation.

commodification

Involves treating goods, services, or people as commodities to be bought and sold. In Asian American Studies, this concept is relevant for understanding how Asian bodies and cultures are commodified in media and consumer culture.

tourism and neocolonialism

Tourism can perpetuate neocolonialism by reinforcing economic and cultural dependencies between more powerful and less powerful regions. In Hawaii, for example, tourism has contributed to the exploitation of Native Hawaiian land and culture.

• Tourism and commodification of Hawiian bodies

  • People as profit 

  • In tourism economy bodies are on view for financial gain 

  • Bodies that are undesirable are “erased” and imprisoned and their labor is used in invisible ways by the state

Idigenous sovereignty

Refers to the right of indigenous peoples to govern themselves and their lands. In the context of Asian American Studies, this concept is important for understanding the struggles of Native Hawaiians and other indigenous groups against colonialism and neocolonialism.

• settler colonialism- form of colonialism that is organized around “illumination of the Native”

• wants to settle the land

• get rid of people already living there

• physical extermination of Native people through killing, disease, ect.

• elemination of Indegienous people as a people

“A Place in the Middle” Film

native Hawaiian/Kanaka Maoli conception of gender

Native Hawaiian conceptions of gender are diverse and fluid, often challenging Western binary notions. Understanding these perspectives is crucial for respecting indigenous cultural practices and identities.

māhū, or “the in-between.” This Hawaiian term is used to characterize someone who embodies both kāne (male) and wahine (female) spirit

incarceration

Refers to the imprisonment of individuals, often reflecting systemic inequalities and biases in the justice system. In Asian American Studies, this topic involves examining how Asian Americans are impacted by mass incarceration and advocating for reform.

prison abolition

Seeks to dismantle the prison system, arguing that it perpetuates systemic injustices and fails to address the root causes of crime. This movement is relevant to Asian American Studies as it intersects with issues of racial justice and community safety.

exploitative Frontline care

Refers to the underpaid and undervalued labor performed by caregivers, often in healthcare and domestic work. This issue affects many Asian American workers, highlighting the need for better labor protections and recognition of care work's value.

anti-Asian violence

Involves physical and verbal attacks against individuals of Asian descent, often fueled by racism and xenophobia. In Asian American Studies, this topic is critical for understanding the historical and ongoing impacts of anti-Asian racism and advocating for community safety and solidarity.

From Trump’s blaming on China for the start of Covid-19

• Slow violence

The Page Act

The Page Act of 1875 was the first federal immigration law in the United States that restricted certain groups of people from entering the country. It was named after Representative Horace F. Page from California and primarily targeted Chinese women, who were stereotyped as prostitutes. The law prohibited the entry of "women for the purposes of prostitution" and contract laborers without their free consent, effectively banning most Chinese women from immigrating to the U.S

• prevented women from trying to start a better life in the US

• preventing men from marrying and bringing over their Chinese wives and effected them starting families in the US