Asian Americans have been migrating to the United States since the 1850’s. The Chinese came over first and decades later, the Japanese, Koreans, and Filipinos followed. All of these Asian American populations faced discrimination, racial hostility, inequality, deportation, and possible death. They paved the way for other Asian American populations wanting to make better lives for themselves and for their families. Today, we have twenty Asian American populations living in the United States. The…

What comes to mind when I think of Asian Americans I think of Chinese, Korean, and Japanese. I envision them having the look of a Chinese or Japanese person. Black or darker hair, droopy eyes, and a smaller built body. Until this project I thought those were the only people considered Asian but I was wrong. Asian also includes Filipino, Asian Indian, and Vietnamese people as well. The three main types of Asians are Chinese, Japanese, and the Filipino, and they all have been in America the longest…

Although Asian Americans comprise only about 5% of the U.S. population, this group is the fastest growing segment of American society. Despite such rapid expansion, Asian Americans are widely underrepresented throughout media, whether in television, cinema, or literature. Moreover, there are different stereotypes associated with Asian Americans. One of the most pervasive stereotypes details how Asian Americans are a “model minority”. In essence, this myth describes how anyone who is Asian American will…

cause cultural and identity issues. The collision of the two cultures forms a process of trying to construct an identity and a destruction of an ethnic identity, with different factors to consider such as space and other sociocultural codes. This film about the Indian American also shows the concept of model-minority image, standards and expectations imposed to Asian Americans. The Namesake embodies the cultural and identity issues of an Asian American, particularly the Indian Americans, exemplifying…

Asian Americans are a very diverse group in the United States, which include many races such as Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Korean, Filipino, Indian, and many more. Birth country, ancestry, and family heritage are ways to categorize this specific group. According to the 2010 Census, the Asian American population has grown faster than any other group from 2000 to 2010 (Pew Research, 2012). Asian Americans are either immigrants from Asia or are descendants of immigrants. Asian Americans have an…

fact that Asian Americans have been in Hollywood for decades, there are very few positive representations of them in film. More often than not, they’ve been depicted as stereotypical caricatures, and more specifically, as foreigners who can’t speak grammatically correct English. Moreover, the negative representations of Asian Americans in film has perpetuated certain misconceptions about their culture. Chan is Missing (1982) calls for more genuine representations of Asian American identities through…

Many Asian Americans take great pride in a strong work ethic and an equally strong value system in terms of educational achievement. This cultural legacy stems from a long tradition of Asians coming into America as immigrants since the 19th century. During this time, there are third and fourth generation Asian Americans that have adopted the principles of a quality education and strong work ethic as part of being of Asian descent in a primarily white Anglo-American population. Culturally, many Asians…

ago, I paced around the heart of a predominantly white college campus. Now, I was introducing myself to the members of Asian Students United (ASU). While I was never a part of ASU, I asked one of the organization’s executive board (eboard) members – Tien, who happened to a Facebook friend – if I could attend a couple of their meetings to conduct research on Asian American identity. He delightfully agreed. After all, from an outsider perspective, I would fit right in. At these meetings, I participated…

RCIDM and Multiculturalism Having knowledge of the Racial/Cultural Identity Development Model will help counselors to become more culturally competent. Although we know these phases, one must be aware of the cultures that counselors will be working with and how one’s beliefs can hinder the process. The five stages of the Asian-American Identity Development Model, developed by Sue and Sue, are: The ethnic awareness stage, White identification stage, the awakening to the social political consciousness…

The Asian American population is a major facet of American life; beginning their lives as immigrants they have worked their way to become integral members of society. In 2010 there were 14.7 million Asian Americans living in the United States and in 2011 that number increased to 18.2 million.1 Culturally, Asian American people have traditions and beliefs that contradict those of the Western world.2 “Culture molds people’s values, attitudes, and beliefs; influences their perceptions of self and others;…