Racialization, Schooling, and Becoming American: Asian American Experiences

‘Weird’ to be Asian: Racism and Interculturality in an Elite Girls’ School

“…As there is no scope for a cross-case analysis of these two girls, this paper focuses solely on Kate. There is diversity among Asian ethnic groups' experiences of education and researchers need to be wary of 'panethnic lumping' (Lee et al 2017). However, this paper's focus on Kate's racial rather than ethnic positioning reflects the way our conversations centred on her panethnic Asian identity rather than her experiences as Vietnamese Australian.…”

“…While Kate does not explicitly link being Asian with her academic performance, there is an established body of literature that critiques the way Asians, particularly Asian Americans, are constructed as a 'model minority' because of their academic achievement (Bradbury 2013;Chen and Buell 2018;Lee et al 2017). The model minority narrative is problematic because it proposes that when Asians achieve academically, it is solely as a result of their own individual efforts and this way of thinking further disadvantages other minority groups by suggesting any lack of success is their own fault.…”

“…The kind of anxiety Kate feels, and the ways that it spurs her to achieve academically, is not uncommon among students of Asian backgrounds and can be understood as a response to immigrant families being otherwise socially marginalised in Australian society (Ho 2020). This minority positioning has, in many cases, led to some students of Asian backgrounds striving for academic excellence as a defence against racism (Lee et al 2017). Although Kate understands that the educational system she is operating within is unfair and causes her undue stress, she is reluctant to critique it as it also bestows upon her recognition and a sense of belonging to a world that she would otherwise be excluded from.…”

Mistreatment in Medical Care and Psychological Distress among Asian Americans

“…Because Asian Americans are often viewed as a "model minority" group yet simultaneously perceived as being perpetually foreign [13], they hold a unique location on the social hierarchy that makes them vulnerable to certain stressors, including racial discrimination. Additionally, because various ethnic groups within the Asian American population have been racialized in different ways [14], it is plausible that certain Asian subgroups may be negatively impacted by stress (from mistreatment) more than others. Limited research, however, has examined discrimination against this population in the context of healthcare and its relation to mental health.…”

Microfictions and Microaggressions: Counselors’ Work With Transracial Adoptees in Schools

“…Schools are “central sites of racialization” (S. J. Lee et al, 2017, p. 492) and school counselors are in an excellent position to raise this awareness among school personnel and offer more culturally responsive curricular recommendations (Adoptive Families, 2014; Branco & Brott, 2017; Mitchell, 2007).…”