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Model Minority Myth Essay

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1.Model Minority Myth: Asian Americans have generally been typified as the model minority which refers to a perception of them being “naturally gifted, hardworking and socially passive” (Asian Americans in Higher Education 13) Their ability to perform well academically and to remain passive in the larger social scheme makes them less threatening than other minorities, especially African Americans but the model minority myth may have worked against them, especially in the field of educational attainment. It is believed that due to the model minority myth, Asian Americans are victims of “political exploitation” (Chun 1980, p.7) and in education they are denied certain services which are readily available to other minorities such as preference in higher education systems.

2: Race: The concept of race is more often than not used as a social construct and it has been historically used as a means of making laws for the minorities and for the purpose of denying them certain rights which are easily given to the majority. Social construction of race has also been used as a means of denying citizenship and marriage rights to people and in the case of Asian Americans, Critical Asian Theory is …show more content…

In its broader context it refers to a variety of perceived threats from Asian-Americans which included “threat of military invasion from Asia, competition to the white labor force from Asian-Americans workers, the moral degeneracy of Asian people and the specter of genetic mixing of Anglo-Saxons with Asians.” (Asian Americans in Higher Education 15) The perpetual foreigner syndrome reflects the bias against the group in spite of their achievements and the various educational and social policies intended to curtail their

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