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AsAminUS-20thCenturyandthecontinuingAsianproblem-1.pptxAsian Americans in the U.S.
20th Century and the continuing Asian "problem"
ETHST 1
Dr. Frank Pérez
Lecture Layout
What we'll cover:
Enduring Anti-Asian Racism
The Filipino Problem
The Japanese Problem
The Korea/Vietnam Problem
Anti-Asian sentiments in the 80s/90s
Key term:
Zoomorphism: means assigning a person, event, or a deity with animalistic characteristics.
Enduring Anti-Asian Racism
We can understand the evolution of anti-Asian sentiments as building over the years
There are a couple notable periods that show how the U.S. has continued its vehement disdain for Asian communities
Starting with anti-Chinese sentiments and continuing to until today
Different Asian/Asian American sub-Ethnic communities have faced racialization and targetd discrimination
Filipinos- emmigrated due to Spanish American war and racialized and discriminated as farmworker and low-wage laborers
Japanese- racialized and dscriminated against due to WWII and Pearl Harbor attacks and face internment/concentration
Chinese/Korean/Vietnamese- racialized as enemies/refugees during Cold War and as causes for U.S. economic woes during late 20th century de-industrialization/globalization
Filipino Problem U.S. Colonization
Filinpines taken as a prize of war after the Spanish American War (1898)
Initially U.S. supported Caribbean And Filipine secession from Spain but would not allow for peoples and regions to be free
U.S. was seeking to become a colonial power like its European predecessors
U.S. violently occupied the region and fought separatist forces for decades
200,000 civilian deaths due to the American-Filipine war
Filipino Problem (Labor Exploitation)
Filipines become a paradox for America
Should it be ruled to expand economic/military interests or release the Filipines to maintain the mantra of democracy
Filipino Americans migrate en masse to flee political/social and economic turmoil in their homeland
Filipino farmworkers are exploited akin to Coolies and Chattle Slaves and used by farmers to disrupt labor organizing in the fields
Filipino farmworkers worked under similar slave like conditions
They also fought for their rights and helped in the Chicano Rights movements for farmworkers
The Japanese Problem
Japan and the U.S. had a complicated relationship
At first, Japan wanted to build relationship with the U.S. and Europe to modernize
However, Japan continued its own imperialist desires/campaigns throughout southeast Asia
Japanese immigrants were also coming to the U.S. due to instability in their homeland and as contract laborers
With the rising anti-Chinese sentiment and the eventual Exculsion Act (1882) demand for Japanese contract laborers grew
Remember that Japanese were also striving for acceptance into Whiteness
The Ozawa (1922) was one of the earlies legal cases of Asian Americans contesting their marginalization
The Japanese Problem (WWII/Pearl Habor)
WWII ushered in a new phase of Racialization for Asian communities particularly with Japanese
Chinese: become accepted because of allyship during the war
Japanese: become the enemy because of attacks on Pearl Harbor
While Pearl Harbor attacks were devastating, it ushered in a nationwide racializing disdain for Japanese
One particular way we see Japanese racialized is through zoomorphism, as Yellow "rats"
Zoomorphism: means assigning a person, event, or a deity with animalistic characteristics.
The Japanese Problem (Japanese Internment and Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki)
Anti-Japanese sentiment ran high during the war (akin to wide-spread racist sentiments affecting Communities of Color across the country)
U.S. government to direct and violent action again Japanese communities domestic and abroad
Domestic: Executive Order 9066 allowed for the forced detention of 120,000 Japanese Americans (those with any blood/ancestral ties to Jap)
Detainees lost their property, rights, and were detained in camps similar to Jewish concentration camps
Abroad: used nuclear weapons (only time ever in history 08/06 and 08/09) and killed 129,000 and 226,000 people many that were civilians
Nuclear weapons have lasting effects and left the regions unihabitable as well as many decendents had long term health issues including the congenital malformation of children
Korea/Vietnam "Problem"
Communist and capitalist countries sought to grab hold of South-East Asia for strategic positioning against each other (Soviets vs. US)
War ensue in the are sending thousands troops in and displacing many more civilians (similar to what we saw in Harvest of Empires)
North and South Korea and U.S. gets involved to stave off communist expansion
Vietnam (Vietnam/Cambodia/Loas) major armed conflict by the U.S. again fighting for position in the region
These wars set precedent for U.S. interventionism around the world (later the U.S. would start to intervene in the Middle East)
U.S. also used mass casualty weapons like cluster bombs, land mines, white phosphorous, agent orange, napalm, and other illegal munitions that had devastating consequences
All of these weapons are considered to have mass casualty and long term health effects.
There are untold amounts of munitions that haven't been detonated or cleaned up that continue to affect folks in the region
Anti-Asian sentiments in the 80s/90s
After the Cold/Indo-Pacific wars wind down, there is still an existing anti-Asian sentiment that persists in the U.S.
We see a rise in de-industrialization and globalization occur in the 1980's
The U.S. government/corporations ship many factories and manufacturing jobs overseas as new colonial relationships with Latin America, the Caribbean, and South-East Asia are established
Asian emigration flourishes at this time because of the continues political and social instability caused by U.S. interventionism in the region
These factors create powderkeg conditions where targeted racial violence occur, lives are lost, and justice is rarely served.
Conclusion
What we covered:
Enduring Anti-Asian Racism
The Filipino Problem
The Japanese Problem
The Korea/Vietnam Problem
Anti-Asian sentiments in the 80s/90s
Key term:
Zoomorphism
