The Myth of the Model Minority Myth

Sakamoto, Arthur; Takei, Isao; Woo, Hyeyoung

doi:10.1080/02732173.2012.664042

Cited by 41 publications

(47 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…In 1964, President Johnson declared a "war on poverty" to build a "Great Society" (Lyndon Johnson's 'Great Society,' n.d.). The war was intended for social welfare, but it served the status quo by depicting messages: Asian Americans are hardworking with no need for welfare; people of all races can make the same achievement as Asian Americans do through hard work, which proves the United States is not a racist society (Fong, 2008;Osajima, 2005;Sakamoto et al, 2012). This served as a divisive and controlling mechanism for people of color following the Civil Rights Movement when more underrepresented groups joined African Americans in asserting their rights.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Hartlep (2013a) summarized what MMS research has revealed so far: it has silenced Asian Americans against racism, maintained the status quo, and challenged the mental health of Asian Americans. However, as noted by Sakamoto et al (2012), the MMS scholarship has centered on racial discrimination that highly educated Asian Americans experience in the labor market. Influenced by the hardworking and over-achieving image of a model minority, the most popular argument in the MMS literature is that Asian Americans are over-educated compared to non-Hispanic Whites and receive lower income for their education, which is known as the "overeducation" view (Sakamoto et al, 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, as noted by Sakamoto et al (2012), the MMS scholarship has centered on racial discrimination that highly educated Asian Americans experience in the labor market. Influenced by the hardworking and over-achieving image of a model minority, the most popular argument in the MMS literature is that Asian Americans are over-educated compared to non-Hispanic Whites and receive lower income for their education, which is known as the "overeducation" view (Sakamoto et al, 2012). This argument is elitist because it pertains to highly educated Asian Americans who are the most privileged group in the labor market (Hartlep, 2013a;Sakamoto et al, 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Influenced by the hardworking and over-achieving image of a model minority, the most popular argument in the MMS literature is that Asian Americans are over-educated compared to non-Hispanic Whites and receive lower income for their education, which is known as the "overeducation" view (Sakamoto et al, 2012). This argument is elitist because it pertains to highly educated Asian Americans who are the most privileged group in the labor market (Hartlep, 2013a;Sakamoto et al, 2012). As a result, the view has not only failed to illuminate issues such as class disparities between the highly educated and low educated workers, but suggested more inequality and income gap in the labor market by claiming a higher income for the already highest-earning Asian Americans (Sakamoto et al, 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Scholars have tried to debunk the myth and reveal racism behind the notion. However, the "overeducation" view has flourished in Asian American Studies as the most popular research direction, serving the socioeconomic self-interest of professors with highly educated Asian Americans as research subjects (Sakamoto, Takei, & Woo, 2012). To refute the "over-education" view and meet the contextual need to generate a new paradigm of research, this article reviews major themes of the MMS through the lens of postcolonialism based on the discourse of Empire by Hardt and Negri (2000).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Model Minority Stereotype as a Prescribed Guideline of Empire: Situating the Model Minority Research in the Postcolonial Context

Kim¹,

Taylor²

2017

Journal of Southeast Asian American Education and Advancement

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It has been 50 years since the term, model minority, first appeared in the United States to describe Asian Americans as an ethnic group that overcame the image of the "yellow peril" and successfully climbed the social ladder. Scholars have tried to debunk the myth and reveal racism behind the notion. However, the "overeducation" view has flourished in Asian American Studies as the most popular research direction, serving the socioeconomic self-interest of professors with highly educated Asian Americans as research subjects (Sakamoto, Takei, & Woo, 2012). To refute the "over-education" view and meet the contextual need to generate a new paradigm of research, this article reviews major themes of the MMS through the lens of postcolonialism based on the discourse of Empire by Hardt and Negri (2000). In the domain of Empire, the model minority stereotype (MMS) is defined as a strategy for imperial control that integrates, differentiates, and manages. Asian American intellectuals and professionals are analyzed from the perspective of Empire with suggestions for future research directions.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

The Model Minority Stereotype as a Prescribed Guideline of Empire: Situating the Model Minority Research in the Postcolonial Context

Kim¹,

Taylor²

2017

Journal of Southeast Asian American Education and Advancement

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Representation of Asian American Populations in Medical School Curricula

et al. 2022

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ImportanceDespite being one of the fastest-growing populations in the US, the Asian American population is often misrepresented in and omitted from health research and policy debate. There is a current lack of understanding of how Asian American populations are portrayed in medical school curricula.ObjectiveTo assess how Asian American populations and their subgroups are represented in medical school curricula.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsIn this qualitative study, the content of 632 lectures from all 19 courses of the preclinical curriculum at a single US institution from the academic year 2020 to 2021 was analyzed to identify and characterize unique mentions of race and ethnicity as well as granular ethnicity. Among the 632 lectures, we identified 256 nonrepetitive, unique mentions of race and ethnicity or granular ethnicity. These unique mentions were coded and analyzed for emerging patterns of use.Main Outcomes and MeasuresStudy outcomes included (1) the frequency of specific racial and ethnic categories mentioned in the curriculum, (2) the relative proportion of mentions of race and ethnicity that involved or included Asian American data by courses and context, and (3) key themes representing emerging patterns found from qualitative analysis of curriculum content for mentions of Asian American populations or lack thereof.ResultsAmong the 632 lectures, 256 nonrepetitive mentions of race and ethnicity or granular ethnicity were identified; of these, Asian American populations and/or their subgroups were mentioned in 79 of the instances (30.9%). The most common terms used to denote Asian American populations were Asian, with 36 mentions (45.6%); followed by Japanese, with 10 mentions (12.7%); and Chinese, with 8 mentions (10.1%). Overall, there were 26 mentions (10.2%) of American Indian or Alaska Native populations, 12 mentions (4.7%) of Asian and Pacific Islander or Asian American and Pacific Islander populations, 67 mentions (26.2%) of Asian or Asian American populations, 143 mentions (55.9%) of Black or African American populations, 62 mentions (24.2%) of Hispanic or Latino populations, 4 mentions (1.6%) of Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander populations, and 154 mentions (60.2%) of White populations. During the analysis of the curriculum for representation of Asian American populations, the following 5 key themes emerged from the data: (1) omission, (2) aggregation, (3) inconsistent categorization, (4) misidentification of granular ethnicity, and (5) association of race and ethnicity with disease.Conclusions and RelevanceThis qualitative study suggests that the curriculum from a single US medical school largely mirrors the inappropriate use of race and ethnicity found in published health literature and clinical guidelines. Solutions with long-term results will require collaboration among diverse groups of interest to adopt inclusive research programs and design. Such solutions could better equip students in combating race-based medicine and could promote community outreach programs built based on trust.

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Internalization of the model minority myth and sociodemographic factors shaping Asians/Asian Americans' experiences of discrimination during COVID‐19

Lee

et al. 2022

American J of Comm Psychol

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Despite appearing positive, the model minority myth (MMM), or the perception that Asian Americans are “problem‐free” minorities, maintains unfair racial hierarchies and discredits the pervasiveness of systemic racism faced by Asian Americans and other Black, Indigenous, and people of Color. This study investigated the role of internalized MMM in Asian/Asian Americans' (A/AA) experiences during the syndemic of COVID‐19 and our society's racial reckoning. Using a mixed methods approach, we analyzed A/AA college students' open‐ended responses to a query about their experiences as A/AA during COVID‐19, which resulted in qualitative themes of Personal and Vicarious Discrimination, Vigilance, Safety due to Ethnicity, Safety due to Environment, and No Difference during COVID‐19. We then conducted a series of logistic and linear regression models to examine how internalized MMM and sociodemographic factors (i.e., ethnic group, gender, and generational status) were associated with qualitative themes and quantitative measures of COVID‐related discrimination. Overall, findings demonstrated that greater internalized MMM, as well as identifying as South Asian, male, and an international/first‐generation immigrant student, were linked to fewer qualitative and quantitative reports of vicarious discrimination. We conclude with implications for research and practice in community psychology that further examine the racialized experiences among A/AA college students and ultimately seek to challenge the MMM and racial hierarchies perpetuating systems of oppression.

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The Myth of the Model Minority Myth

Cited by 41 publications

References 20 publications

The Model Minority Stereotype as a Prescribed Guideline of Empire: Situating the Model Minority Research in the Postcolonial Context

The Model Minority Stereotype as a Prescribed Guideline of Empire: Situating the Model Minority Research in the Postcolonial Context

Representation of Asian American Populations in Medical School Curricula

Internalization of the model minority myth and sociodemographic factors shaping Asians/Asian Americans' experiences of discrimination during COVID‐19

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