Welcome to Asian-Nation, an authoritative, one-stop information resource and sociological exploration of the historical, demographic, political, and cultural issues that make up today's diverse Asian American community. You can think of Asian-Nation as an online version of "Asian Americans 101."
The Purposes of This Site
While Asian Americans "only" make up about 6.7% of the U.S.'s total population (as of 2018), we are one of the fastest growing racial/ethnic groups (in terms of percentage increase) in the U.S.
The Asian American community has received a lot of scrutiny over the years but in many ways, still remains misunderstood. Therefore, this site serves as a concise but comprehensive introduction to the Asian American community. Its purposes are to:
- Educate those who would like to learn more about the Asian American population
- Provide general and specific information about different topics and issues that affect the Asian American community
- Identify other sources of information related to Asian Americans
What You Can Expect
First, I define "Asian Americans" as the population living in the U.S. who self-identify as having Asian ancestry, in whole or in part, regardless of whether they're U.S.- or foreign-born, a U.S. citizen or not, length of residence, or in the U.S. legally or as undocumented. While the term "Asian American" generally refers to ethnic groups with ancestral origins in East, Southeast, or South Asia, it can also overlap with the historical, political, economic, and cultural experiences of Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders (NHPIs).
The U.S. Census Bureau classifies NHPIs as a separate racial group from Asian Americans and in fact, the NHPI population has many unique characteristics and differences from Asian Americans, such as being colonized by U.S. military forces, whereas many Asian Americans immigrated to the U.S. and voluntarily came into contact with U.S. society. As such, I respect these histories and characteristics that are unique to the NHPI population and will not automatically subsume them under the "Asian American" category and agree with those who argue that NHPIs deserve their own unique identity separate from Asian Americans.
At the same time, I also agree with others that in terms of how they are treated by U.S. social institutions, NHPIs and Asian Americans share many more similarities than differences. As such, this site will sometimes use the terms "Asian American" and "Asian Pacific American" (APA) in similar ways to reflect these shared experiences.
Second, while there is certainly a lot of unique characteristics and differences within the diverse Asian American community, unfortunately I cannot detail the specific issues and experiences of every single Asian ethnic group. By necessity, much of the data and discussion within Asian-Nation focuses on the dozen or so largest Asian ethnic groups that represent the vast majority of the Asian American population.
At the same time, where it's appropriate, I describe issues that affect specific Asian groups, such as the Japanese "internment" or recent suspicions about Chinese espionage. But the main focus of Asian-Nation is on issues and experiences that affect all Asian Americans, especially in the context of how we are typically treated as though we are all the same.
Finally, despite what some academics believe, I do not feel that it is possible to discuss these issues in a completely "non-biased" or "objective" way. I feel that you as the reader deserve to know my personal perspective and what kinds of biases I may have. Therefore, I will say that much of what I present in Asian-Nation is based on my subjective knowledge and experiences as an immigrant, an Vietnamese American, an Asian American, and a person of color.
However, this does not mean that everything in Asian-Nation is merely my personal opinion. As much as possible, I discuss the issues as straightforwardly as possible, drawing on sound academic and sociological research, and incorporating in-depth research and statistics. Nonetheless, there may be instances where I demonstrate my 'liberal' perspective.
Persistent Stereotypes About Asian Americans
As many social scientists have noted, there are two primary stereotypes that continue to affect Asian Americans. One is that all Asian Americans are the same. That is, many people are either unable or unwilling to distinguish between different Asian ethnicities -- Korean American from a Japanese American, Filipino American from an Indonesian American, etc. This becomes a problem when people generalize certain beliefs or stereotypes about one or a few Asian Americans to the entire Asian American population. The result is that important differences between Asian ethnic groups are minimized or ignored altogether, sometimes leading to disastrous results.
The second stereotype is that all Asian Americans are foreigners. Although more than half of all Asians in the U.S. were born outside the U.S., many non-Asians simply assume that every Asian they see, meet, or hear about is a foreigner. Many can't recognize that many Asian American families have been U.S. citizens for several generations. As a result, because all Asian Americans are perceived as foreigners, it becomes easier to think of us as not fully American and then to deny us the same rights that other Americans take for granted. Yes, that means prejudice and discrimination in its many forms.
What's New at Asian-Nation
Be sure to keep up on the important issues making the news that affect Asian Americans, and my particular take on them at Behind the Headlines: APA News Blog, my blog about Asian American news and current events. Also, the articles on Affirmative Action and Anti-Asian Racism have both been updated with up-to-date information.
In the aftermath of the murder of African American George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police, Asian-Nation stands in firm solidarity with our Black brothers, sisters, friends, neighbors, and family as we continue to mobilize collectively to fight the insidious virus of racism that continues to infect U.S. society and destroy innocent lives. Please read my recent blog post "Asian Americans Need to Support Black Lives Matter Now."
Also, in the midst of the Covid-19/Coronavirus pandemic, please read Asian-Nation's statement related to incidents of suspicion, hostility, hate, and violence that has been directed against anyone perceived to be Chinese or more generally, Asian, or Asian Pacific American.
Remember that May isAsian Pacific American Heritage Month. You can celebrate it in a more meaningful but still fun way by reading How You Can Celebrate, along with some interesting and updated data about the Asian American population at 14 Important Statistics About Asian Americans. Also, after a little spring cleaning, the books listed in the "Research Resources Used/Recommended for Further Reading" section of each article have been updated to include the most up-to-date writing, research, and data available from reputable and renowned scholars and experts on each issue and topic.
Finally, make sure to visit the Site Map to see which pages are either New! or Updated! As always, I welcome your comments and suggestions and wish you an interesting exploration.