Recent increases in levels of ethnic diversity rate present new questions about moving beyond the black white racial binary and how group consciousness emerges among other non-black minority groups. In the context of the United States’ diverse makeup, racial identities are intrinsically tied to historical conditions, varying migration patterns, and legislation that reinforce inner group affinity for Americans classified by race. The ambiguity surrounding Asian American identity formation provokes a number of questions: What are the processes through which Asian American identity conflicts are resolved? How does the resolution of identity conflict lead to development and recognition of the self in relation to society? What significance aspects or meanings do most attribute to their Asian American identity? What critical events precipitate change in the perception of being Asian American?
This experience of friction between identities seems to be a direct result of living in a society that is inherently racist through its perpetration of structural barriers and establishment of skewed legal institutions. Identity conflict manifests in attempts to assimilate into white society, which has historically devalued minority groups and isolated people of color. In this exclusionary environment, identity conflict seems inevitable since being “deviant” is synonymous with being less valued. How does this interpretation foreclose the possibility of reform? Does this point to a general cloak of invisibility that characterizes many Asian immigrant populations?
As an Asian American, I feel bound to two different cultures that at times seem incompatible. However, despite the occasional incongruities, I have embraced each as a part of myself: integral to the formation of my character. I am as American as any other. I was born in sunny Northern California in a quiet town called Fremont, and unlike many other Asian Americans, I never felt like I was different in my formative years. This was largely due to the fact that Fremont was an Asian enclave populated by mostly Indians, Chinese, and Pakistanis. I never had the experience of being the “other.” The single story of Asian Americans rang true throughout our community, so I had for the most part accepted the model minority stereotypes as they seemed so rooted in reality.
This experience of friction between identities seems to be a direct result of living in a society that is inherently racist through its perpetration of structural barriers and establishment of skewed legal institutions. Identity conflict manifests in attempts to assimilate into white society, which has historically devalued minority groups and isolated people of color. In this exclusionary environment, identity conflict seems inevitable since being “deviant” is synonymous with being less valued. How does this interpretation foreclose the possibility of reform? Does this point to a general cloak of invisibility that characterizes many Asian immigrant populations?
As an Asian American, I feel bound to two different cultures that at times seem incompatible. However, despite the occasional incongruities, I have embraced each as a part of myself: integral to the formation of my character. I am as American as any other. I was born in sunny Northern California in a quiet town called Fremont, and unlike many other Asian Americans, I never felt like I was different in my formative years. This was largely due to the fact that Fremont was an Asian enclave populated by mostly Indians, Chinese, and Pakistanis. I never had the experience of being the “other.” The single story of Asian Americans rang true throughout our community, so I had for the most part accepted the model minority stereotypes as they seemed so rooted in reality.