AAS

Week 7

 Discussion Forum: Enclaves, Ethnoburbs and Global Spaces

Mary Yu Danico. The Formation of Post-Suburban Communities: Koreatown and Little Saigon, Orange County

· Mary Yu, explains a great deal about the transformation of once very “homogeneous, Anglo” communities in Orange County to the now heavily populated Asian American communities. Yu describes the racism and marginalization faced by the Asian Americans throughout history in this area and also presents the triumphs they have made within their Orange County community. Identify specific evidence that clarifies the triumphs Asian Americans have made throughout their migration to Orange County. Why are these instances significant and how can you connect it to your own experiences, or observations?

· Once settled in the United States, many Vietnamese American refugees and Korean American immigrants identify as Republicans. Republicans stood for capitalism, religious freedom, and business. With this being said, younger generations of Vietnamese and Koreans Americans identify as Democratic. Explain why these party affiliations have tended to fall along these generational lines.

· Mary Yu Danico explain the history of Korean and Vietnamese presence in Orange County, as well as the challenges and difficulty they faced while settling into and developing  their communities. Both cultures were despised by local citizens, and they often ran into trouble and disputes with local laws and ordinances as they continued to develop more and more. These issues and problems did not only occur in California in history, but all throughout the country as America was receiving an immense amounts of immigrants. How do fast developing post-suburban ethnic communities affect local culture and politics? What are the conflicts these ethnics communities often face in establishing ethnic communities?

· Mary Yu Danico explain how Asians faced discrimination when immigrating in the 1970's, not only from non-Asian citizens, but from each other as well. This of course came from the world events occurring at the time. Events such as the Vietnam War for example, created a division between Laotian, Cambodian, Vietnamese, and Chinese people and they often held grudges, even in the States.  Do you think that the formation of these areas: Little Saigon, Koreatown, Little Tokyo, etc.., was beneficial for the Asian American community? How does the development of ethnic community help Asian ethnic groups?  

 

Paul M. Ong and Tarry Hum. “Asian Americans in Global Cities: Los Angeles-New York Connections and Comparisons. AAPI Nexus 10:2, 2012.

· Paul M. Ong and Tarry Hum discuss the reasons why the majority of Asian-American communities are found in the two global cities, Los Angeles and New York. What factors, other than the ones presented in the article, can possibly influence the fact that more than sixteen million Asian Americans reside in either of the two global cities, Los Angeles and New York? Do you believe that more scholarly research should be done regarding Asian American communities in relation to politics?

· In Paul M. Ong and Tarry Hum examine the expansion of Asian American communities through a broad understanding of the similarities and differences of experiences of Asian Americans in different global cities—Los Angeles and New York—through a comparative analysis. The article compares the Asian ethnic economies of the two metropolitan areas where “In Los Angeles, Asians who are self-employed are more likely to be high-skill, professional services while their counterparts in New York tend to concentrate in low-Skill traditional “enclave-associated” niches” (VII). What accounts for the socioeconomic inequalities in these global cities for Asian Americans? Do you think that the Asian Americans in Los Angeles have more advantages compared to the ones in New York and/or vice versa?

· Paul M. Ong and Tarry Hum examine Asian American experiences in Los Angeles and New York, which are two of the most ethnically diverse cities in the United States. Quantitative evidence demonstrates the roles that immigration and immigrants have played in shaping our communities in terms of economic development. Why do you believe Asians are attracted to these bigger cities? Which specific neighborhoods are significantly influenced by Asians? Which distinct features within that area show Asian influence?

· Paul M. Ong and Tarry Hum investigate similarities and differences among the Asian American population that live in Los Angeles and New York. Do you agree with the authors that it is difficult to fully understand and appreciate Asian American experiences without sufficient research? Why would it be necessary to focus our studies on other regions as well, rather than just the two cities?

· Paul M. Ong and Tarry Hum shared a variety of data from different articles by different authors to make this point. They shared how comparing an ethnic population's experiences and data in different regions can help understand that ethnic group better. Do you think their method can be used to understand other groups such as African Americans or Latinos? If so, what are a few factors you'd suggest starting off with to raise the awareness the way these authors did? If not, why do you think this method can only be applied to Asian Americans? 

Week 11

 Discussion Forum: Sexuality/LGBTQ

“The Journey to Acceptance: Crossroads of Asian Culture and Queer Identity.” Aldric Ulep.

· Asians tend to keep their sexual identity a secret because they do not want to burden their family. According to Aldric Ulep, “Because of this cultural pressure to put the family first, queer Asian children often choose to hide their sexuality from their parents in fear of betraying the central family unit, the focus of a collectivist society” (6). They choose to keep their sexual identity a secret because they want to protect their family and their beliefs. In what ways does claiming queer identity function as a betrayal of the family? What do you believe needs to happen for Asians to feel more safe coming out to their parents?  

· Aldric Ulep discusses the difficulties queer Asian American children face when they come out and reveal their sexual identity to their parents. This is mostly due to the traditional Asian immigrant parents and westernized/second-generation Asian American children’s different sets of core values. To these children, revealing their sexual identity can be seen as a betrayal to Asian family expectations, which includes fulfilling specific roles. For example, Asian sons are supposedly “responsible to dutifully ‘continue the family lineage and expand the family unit’” (6). How does queer identity pose challenges to traditional ethnic visions about family? How does immigration pose specific cultural challenges for queer children and their parents?

· Queer Asian American youth face “racialized heterosexism in Asian American communities and queered racism in queer communities.”  (Ulep, 4). They are fearful of shaming their family, so many queer Asian American children tend to keep their sexuality a secret, in fear of betraying their family and cultural values. Asians place a huge importance on family and traditional Asian values, such as “getting married, having children, and passing down the family name.” (Ulep, 7). However, Asian parents have to make their own choice about either accepting their child’s queer identity or not accepting their child’s queer identity. Asian parents truly care about their children’s well-being and believe that if they do not lead a normal life, then they will not lead a normal life. Also, they are faced with factors, such as language barriers, which make it even more difficult for them to communicate with their children. Why do you think the Asian American community is particularly struggling with their children’s queer identities? And what do you think will help queer Asian American children’s “coming out” process easier for both the child and the parents? Also, what factors are most crucial when considering the struggle of the Asian American community and how could these factors affect queer Asian American youth? (i.e. language barriers, western culture assimilation, etc.)

· Aldric Ulep discusses how the parents of queer individuals react to their children “coming out” and the difficulties that come with being queer in an Asian family. Most Asian communities live in collectivist societies, which means family values matter more than individual values. Due to this, many queer individuals fear “coming out” would risk their relationship with their family and decide to conceal their sexual identity. Asian culture does not encourage parents to reject their children based on their sexual orientation, so, ultimately, the parents decide whether or not to support their children. Unfortunately, due to Asian culture being reserved, “[it] does not permit direct expression of sexual language and behavior,” and further discourages any discussion about sex or sexuality (8). This makes it difficult for parents to understand what it means to be queer and to accept that their child falls into this category, which also damages their fixed idea of thinking their child will live a “normal life” based on marriage and children. In addition, American-raised children and Asian-raised parents encounter a language barrier that makes it difficult for the child’s “coming out” experience to be properly explained. What can be done to encourage Asian communities to be more outspoken about sexual identity? How can the collectivist values be encouraged or strengthened with the inclusion of queerness? How could Asian-American queer individuals better communicate with their Asian-raised parents about their queerness?    

 

“Searching for Home: Voices of Gay Asian American Youth in West Hollywood.” Mark Tristan Ng.

· Mark Tristan Ng describes how race and sexuality interact in the lives of gay Asian Americans in West Hollywood. He indicates that West Hollywood is usually safe and comfortable space for gay people, but most gay Asian American youths do not feel safe due to racial hierarchy led by gay white Americans within the community. The author states that this is a result of Model Minority and Orientalism. My question is: how these images of the Model Minority and Orientalism marginalize gay Asian American in the West Hollywood community? Do you think these issues must be solved by people only within the community or outsiders can help to solve the issues and improve the community’s condition for the Asian American youths? 

· Mark Tristan Ng argues how West Hollywood is not safe place for gay Asian American men (GAM). Even though West Hollywood is considered a safe place for many homosexual people, there is still discrimination. The article also states that gay white males control the value and currency of this economy; they occupy the dominant and privileged position as the active agents determining and dictating who and what is desirable, how much value there is in an object, and how to pursue that desire. What does what dominance in West Hollywood look like? What can Asian American gay men do to achieve a more satisfying sense of “home”?

· Mark Tristan Ng discusses the struggles that young Gay Asian American males (GAM) face. New clubs have been added, including the Buddha Lounge and Red Dragon, to include GAM more in West Hollywood. Although this is more of a safe place for them in West Hollywood, some have still felt like the clubs were fetishizing Asian-ness, or that they were a place for white gay males to come and fulfill their fantasies. Do you think these clubs are a safe place where gay Asian males can come together as a community? What is the value of a “safe space”? In what ways do these clubs reproduce the racial hierarchy of the broader society?

· Mark Tristan Ng illustrates the dynamic layers of identity for young, gay, Asian men in West Hollywood, a place largely known for its gay demographic. He illustrates the logistics behind Asian themed clubs in West Hollywood comparing these “enclaves” to that of smaller ethnic areas in larger metropolitan cities such as Chinatown, Little Saigon, etc. However, Ng states that while they provide a relatively more positive environment for these men, ultimately being gay and Asian in West Hollywood still lacks a sense of “community”. Identify some of the prejudices and misconceptions that these clubs seem to be operating on? What can community members in West Hollywood do to create more authentic inclusion of people of color.

 

Week 12

 Discussion Forum: Asian American Studies Looking Forward

“Whither Asian American Studies?” Chan, Sucheng.

· Sucheng Chan presents the argument that although Asian American studies have greatly increased throughout the nation’s colleges and universities, there are still many concerns and challenges that surround the courses and their existence with the nation. More specifically, the text states one challenge is that “there is still no graduate program anywhere in the country that systematically trains future faculty members to teach Asian American studies […]".and another challenge is that "[...] there are many disagreements over how the field should be conceptualized in this age of transnationalism and globalization and what its goals should be” (477). Considering the text, what are your thoughts and suggestions towards keeping Asian American studies programs relevant? More specifically, how can the individuals within the program ensure the continuation of the studies and have people interested in continuing to teach in the field? Provide data and examples from the text to support your answer and thoughts. It might be helpful to also consider your own experience within our course and share your thoughts on ethnic studies respectfully.

· Sucheng Chan asks an important question in regards to Asian American studies programs moving forward, both in its structures of how its taught, in regards to resources and faculty, but also more importantly, conceptually the politics involved and changing from its original ideologies what the goal of the programs should be moving forward. Chan presents to us that at UC Santa Barbara, most Asian American studies majors did not originally start off with that major and eventually “get exposed to Asian American studies…. Loving our courses, they change majors and transfer to our department,” simply at first to fulfill the needs of General Education requirements. Knowing what we know about ethnic studies and how they were developed and fought to be in universities, how have our reasons and values for why we take Asian American studies, as well as other ethnic studies, have changed since then? And how have they in some ways remained the same?

· Sucheng Chan explains that it is difficult for students to pursue Asian American studies as a major for several reasons. One reason is that students “cannot yet get a Ph.D. in the field” (pg. 480). The lack of a high degree discourages students from continuing to study Asian American issues. Some universities offer ethnic studies overall as a major with Asian American studies being an “emphasis”. Many students don’t want to waste their time for a lower degree nor do they want to study other fields of ethnic studies. Do you think that more universities should offer Ph.D.'s in Asian American studies or is it fine to have it be an emphasis under Ethnic Studies? Would a lack of higher degree discourage you from studying a major?

· In "Whither Asian American Studies?" Sucheng Chan discusses present challenges in the field of Asian American Studies. Chan discusses issues such as a lack of graduate studies to prepare students to teach Asian American studies courses and disagreements in how the field progresses with different ideologies. Chan found that "even though dozens of colleges and universities now offer undergraduate courses in Asian American studies, very few of the undergraduates who take such courses end up teaching Asian American studies at the college or university level" (Chan). Since we are all currently taking an Asian American studies course, are you considering a future in teaching Asian American studies or furthering your career in the field? Also consider how this class or any other Asian American studies course has inspired you to choose this course. If not, discuss why you are not planning on a career in Asian American studies (either economic reasons, academic interests, etc.).