Southeast Asian Identity

An ethnic group is a group of people who share a common culture. Groups can have a shared history, common ancestry, religion, language, traditions, and beliefs. These things make up a common culture that is shared by members of an ethnic group.

Changes are an important part of history, and a natural part of life. In the case of geography throughout history, the world has made many changes to its borders and who has grievances with one another. From the High Middle Ages of olden Europe, to the twentieth century, change has occurred. These changes have unified and broken ties between countries and regions time and time again throughout history. There are many forces that push toward and against unity throughout time. The world map became what is today because of both unity and division marking change in the past.

In this essay, I attempted to lay bare the issues of being an Asian-American and being labeled as an ethnic “other” in modern America. This label of “other” causes them to become marginalized and lose their sense of identity, belonging neither to Western culture nor Eastern culture. In order help stop this loss of identity in Asian-Americans, we must tear down the social construct of the “other” and integrate the different cultures into the melting pot of popular culture. Once we have stopped alienating different cultures, we can then have a moral society that upholds diversity and identity.

Growing up as an Asian American, I often struggle to identify my own cultural identity. Being the first generation of both my mother and father’s side of the family, I more than often get confused between American and Asian culture when applying them to society or at home. While being raised at home, I am largely influenced by culture and traditions from Asian parents and relatives. However, when I go to school or someplace else, I am heavily judged for practicing part of my Asian culture because it is entirely different than western or American. With that being noted, I began to learn and adapt to the western culture in hopes of fitting with society as well of trying to keep my Asian culture intact. As can be seen, this situation I dealt with is the same problem the whole Asian American community faces. Mainly focusing on younger generations like me for example, the Asian American community struggles to adapt to the western culture because they were raised with an Asian influence. Wishing to fit in society and be part of the social norms, the Asian Americans community faces issues that identify their cultural identity.

In Asian American studies, identity is “a set of characteristics or a description that distinguishes a person or thing from others” (Ho 125). One would have to truly perceive his or her culture, language, beliefs, customs and values in order to be viewed as a distinct person in terms of identity. However, many Asian Americans are often faced with personal struggles when they are finding their own identity. These included the issues of assimilation, and contradictions of race and identity within their family and school life. They may sometimes feel insecure with their identity as Asian Americans due to their position as racial minorities in the Unites States. As a consequence, some would unconsciously reject their identity when their emotions are severely damaged in confronting with unequal treatment or being labeled with the Asian stereotypes. In his article “Distilling My Korean American Identity,” Patrick S.

The recruiting phase or the “courting” or “dating process” begins with the initial stages of developing the players’ relationships and to confirm the mutual independence. Colleges and universities are suggesting that they would be equipping them for the future and all the sweets they want. Similar to Friday Night Lights, Colleges and universities heavily court, two star players on the Carter team, Derric Evans and Gary Edwards. They received free trips to tour the universities. Derric Evans and Gary Edwards are jetted around to different schools in the nation. Their mediocre academic scores did not seem to be an issue with these Colleges. Both Derric and Gary are tempted with a bright future and everything from luxury campus residence to

Since 1950 European Union (EU) was created it has promoted peace, prosperity and values among the member nations and its neighbouring countries. EU’s influential tools, has helped transform many European states into functioning democracies and prosperous countries. EU’s membership has grown from 6 to 28 countries (Enlargement, 2014), satisfying a historic vow to integrate the continent bringing in most states of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) by peaceful ideals.EU has anticipated the enlargement as an extraordinary opportunity to endorse political strength and economic success in Europe. EU’s extension policy is open to any European state that fulfils the EU’s political and financial criteria for membership; still the political process of inclusion of new state requires a unanimous agreement from all the existing 28 member states. Europe is considered to be more flourishing and safer place due to the promotion of democracy, anti-corruption policy and the single market policy.

Economically, Europe co-opting ideas with Asia would boost both economies especially Europe’s. Therefore, instead off trying to take over the Asian trade market, the nations should have joined forces and worked with each other’s idea. For example, instead of Britain trying to maintain dominance over

(points 1) What is not one of the natural boundaries that define the South Asia subcontinent?

My name is Richard Hu: I am 30 years old and I am Asian American. This means that I am both Asian, and American. According to Park (2005), the latest census proclaimed that Asian Americans cover more than 4.1% of the population. In its totality that is 11.3 million people. Much like Park (2005) states, “we are not a new phenomenon: Asians have been apart of the U.S landscape from as early as the 17th century … the irony is that we remain “strangers from a distant shore””(p. My parents were born in Korea but relocated in order to give our family more opportunity to excel. I, like many others in my heritage consider myself to be a 1st generation immigrant. However, growing up in the suburbs of Hillsborough California I began to lose my sense of self. It wasn’t until I was much older that I began to identify with my Asian Culture. I whole heartedly feel that Park (2005) said it best when she argued that “Our perceived “foreign-ness” accentuates our “two–worldness”... not Asian enough to repatriate, not “American” enough to integrate” (p. 4). Although it still isn’t an easy concept for people to grasp, over the years I have learned to be more understanding of my Asian American upbringing (Question 1).

After spending a year studying the Asian American (AA) identity, I still find it hard to write about how I perceive the AA identity. In its basic sense, the Asian American identity includes all those with Asian ethnicity who identify themselves as Americans. Beneath the surface, there is the idea of straddling two different world, and crossing between my Asian culture and American society on a daily basis. It involves molding my Chinese traditions to fit into the mold of white societal expectations in order to be accepted in school. It involves yelling at my mom when her language barrier doesn’t allow me to talk to her like a “white parent”. It involves walking with my grandparents to the supermarket

I was adopted from China when I was fifteen months old. Since then I have been living with a loving Italian family, but the two cultures I’ve been surrounded with since birth couldn’t be any more different. As I grew up I struggled with feelings of separation and disconnection toward my Asian heritage as well as my parent’s Italian culture, and I never felt truly immersed in one or the other, no matter how much I tried to fit in. For a long time, I harbored feelings of loneliness and felt like I didn’t belong, until I found nursing. Nursing didn’t care who I was, it didn’t care about the color of my skin, where I came from, or how I grew up. Nursing only cared about who I wanted to be, and who I was going to become moving forward. There is

Beeson, M. (2014). Regionalism and globalisation in East Asia: politics, security and economic development, 2nd edition. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan

As a concept that has become common since the 1990s, globalization is described as the technological, economic, cultural, ideological, and economic changes across borders. It can also be regarded as the transformation of the global economy through the anarchy of financial markets or a technological revolution with social impacts. In contrast, regionalization is the growth of societal integration within a specific area that incorporates all the undirected procedures of economic and social interactions among the units in the region. Since these concepts are different in nature, they contain various strategies that are only effective in specific situations.

ASEAN was officially founded in August 1967 when five founding member states jointly signed the Bangkok declaration. Since then ASEAN experienced number of threats, such as security threat in cold war, economic and financial threat in 1997 East Asia Economic crisis, and now being in the security dilemma between the United States and the People’s Republic of China, prominent major powers attempting to dominate the region, despite all the threat, ASEAN set its goal to become a community in December 2015 which has lot of potential to contribute to the world stage but it also has countless number of challenges, mainly caused by its diversities, nationalism and lack of