University of Oklahoma Graduate College

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

University of Oklahoma Graduate College UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA GRADUATE COLLEGE LIKE WHITE ON RICE: ASIANNESS, WHITENESS, AND IDENTITY A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE FACULTY in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY By ANNA WONG LOWE Norman, Oklahoma 2009 LIKE WHITE ON RICE: ASIANNESS, WHITENESS, AND IDENTITY A DISSERTATION APPROVED FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATION BY Dr. Todd Sandel, Chair Dr. Clemencia Rodriguez Dr. Elaine Hsieh Dr. Jeanette Davidson Dr. Sean O’Neill © Copyright by ANNA WONG LOWE 2009 All Rights Reserved. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I could not have completed this work without tremendous support from a multitude of people. I praise the One who made it all possible, guiding us with love and mercy—God. Jeff, my life partner, stood by me and with me the entire journey as editor and “hero support.” My father and mother prayed tirelessly for Jeff and me every day. Elisabeth Brewer jump-started the rewriting process with her visit and laughter. Phyllis Chen gave me something to look forward to in our weekly pep talks—and took care for me when I could not. Cory Cunningham was my fearless dissertation-writing buddy and gave much needed pep talks. Jodi Wideman gave me perspective on the world with her travel stories. Cheryl Nicholas was an inspiration and mentor. Her tireless efforts in inclusion and acceptance keep me motivated to do the same. Sheryl Crumb provided energy and listening ears when times were good and bad. Amber Neely not only graced me with her refreshing personality, but with invigorating talks on identity. Jessica Bogard called and wrote me—keeping me sane and socially connected to the world. Monica Flippin gently reminded me about the most important things in life and guided me spiritually back to God. RISE provided an impetus and a place to improve my interviewing and writing skills. WHAM, a loving fellowship, kept me grounded in what truly matters in this journey. The information and conversations at NCORE, an annual conference that encourages thoughtful discussions on race and ethnicity, kept me inspired. Kaylene Barbe encouraged me to go through graduate school without stopping and helped me to see true friendship. My dissertation adviser, Todd Sandel, provided writing and conceptual support—I cannot count the number of one-on-one conversations, emails, and phone calls we had to help strengthen my abilities in iv articulating theories and results. Clemencia Rodriguez created a life-changing course on cultural/critical theory—I still refer to the articles and notes from that course. Whenever I write, I hear her comments reminding me to articulate my voice. She also pointed me to another fantastic course with Circe Sturm on identity. Sean O’Neill provided thoughtful comments and advice in ethnography and linguistic anthropology courses. I consider him someone who walks the walk in anthropology, and an advocate for unique and creative ideas. Jeanette Davidson was the reason I got a job at RISE and suggested I attend NCORE. She has been a strong supporter and has provided the right critique to help me form ideas and live them. Elaine Hsieh offered thoughts on ethnography from her learned experience. I am thankful to all the participants, who without much in return, gave their time to the project. I thank all individuals, who with their sacrifice and drive, created the opportunity for people of color to freely learn, live, and work. v TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .........................................................................................iv LIST OF TABLE..........................................................................................................ix LIST OF APPENDICES ...............................................................................................x ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................xi CHAPTER I: ASIANNESS AND WHITENESS: AN INTRODUCTION..................1 CHAPTER II: IDENTITY AND WHITENESS IN SCHOLARSHIP........................12 Negotiating Identity: Constructions of Self.....................................................13 Essentialism.........................................................................................14 Social Constructivism..........................................................................15 Critical Realism...................................................................................16 Central Conceptualizations of Identity................................................17 Culture, Race, and Ethnicity............................................................................25 Culture .................................................................................................25 Ethnicity ..............................................................................................27 Race .....................................................................................................30 Whiteness and Ethnic-Racial Contestations....................................................33 Whiteness ............................................................................................34 Whites and Race..................................................................................36 Interrogating Whiteness: Racial Consciousness..................................37 White Encounters with Whiteness.......................................................42 vi CHAPTER III: SITUATING ASIANNESS IN IMAGES AND TIME .....................50 Public Faces of Asianness: Stereotypes and Images of Asians in the U.S......51 The Model Minority Myth: “Success Stories” and Whiz Kids ...........53 Gendered Stereotypes of Asian/Americans.........................................58 Asianness and the Historical: Immigration to the U.S. ...................................65 Immigration Before 1940s...................................................................67 Chinese Wave..........................................................................67 Japanese Wave.........................................................................71 Korean Wave...........................................................................76 Filipino Wave ..........................................................................78 Asian Indian Wave ..................................................................80 1940s-1964 Asian Immigration and Livelihood..................................83 Post-1965 Asian Immigration..............................................................87 Vietnamese Wave....................................................................89 CHAPTER IV: METHODS AND PROCEDURES....................................................92 Participants ......................................................................................................93 Research Sites: San Francisco Bay Area and Oklahoma City Metropolitan Area .............................................................................................................98 San Francisco Bay Area ......................................................................98 Oklahoma City Metropolitan Area....................................................100 Recruitment and Interview Context...............................................................102 Interview Questions.......................................................................................105 Participant-Observations and Popular Culture ..............................................107 vii Analysis .........................................................................................................109 Situating the Researcher-Participant .............................................................111 CHAPTER V: MODEL MINORITY AND THE IMMIGRANT SPIRIT: RACIAL DIFFERENCES AND FRACTIONS............................................................116 CHAPTER VI: BANANAS, TWINKIES, RICE CRACKERS, AND WHITEWASHED: NEGOTIATING ASIAN AMERICANESS AND WHITENESS ................................................................................................136 Performativity................................................................................................139 Symbolic Structures: Self-Identifications and Disassociations.....................146 Self-Identifications with Whiteness ..................................................147 Disassociations from Whiteness........................................................151 Racial Melancholia........................................................................................157 CHAPTER VII: FOBS, CHINESEY, AND AZIANS: STRATEGIES OF IDENTITY DIFFERENTIATION....................................................................................165 Fresh Off the Boat (FOBs) and Recent Immigrants......................................168 Chinesey ........................................................................................................178 Azians............................................................................................................182 CHAPTER VIII: DISCUSSION ...............................................................................190 REFERENCES..........................................................................................................205 APPENDICES...........................................................................................................231 viii LIST OF TABLE Table 1: Participant Demographic Information...........................................................96 ix LIST OF APPENDICES Appendix
Recommended publications
  • " Ht Tr H" : Trtp Nd N Nd Tnf P Rhtn Th
    ht "ht Trh": trtp nd n ndtn f Pr ht n th .. nnl Ntz, tth r Minnesota Review, Number 47, Fall 1996 (New Series), pp. 57-72 (Article) Pblhd b D nvrt Pr For additional information about this article http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/mnr/summary/v047/47.newitz.html Access provided by Middlebury College (11 Dec 2015 16:54 GMT) Annalee Newitz and Matthew Wray What is "White Trash"? Stereotypes and Economic Conditions of Poor Whites in the U.S. "White trash" is, in many ways, the white Other. When we think about race in the U.S., oftentimes we find ourselves constrained by cat- egories we've inherited from a kind of essentialist multiculturalism, or what we call "vulgar multiculturalism."^ Vulgar multiculturalism holds that racial and ethic groups are "authentically" and essentially differ- ent from each other, and that racism is a one-way street: it proceeds out of whiteness to subjugate non-whiteness, so that all racists are white and all victims of racism are non-white. Critical multiculturalism, as it has been articulated by theorists such as those in the Chicago Cultural Studies Group, is one example of a multiculturalism which tries to com- plicate and trouble the dogmatic ways vulgar multiculturalism has un- derstood race, gender, and class identities. "White trash" identity is one we believe a critical multiculturalism should address in order to further its project of re-examining the relationships between identity and social power. Unlike the "whiteness" of vulgar multiculturalism, the whiteness of "white trash" signals something other than privilege and social power.
    [Show full text]
  • The N-Word : Comprehending the Complexity of Stratification in American Community Settings Anne V
    Union College Union | Digital Works Honors Theses Student Work 6-2009 The N-word : comprehending the complexity of stratification in American community settings Anne V. Benfield Union College - Schenectady, NY Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalworks.union.edu/theses Part of the Race and Ethnicity Commons, Sociology of Culture Commons, and the Urban Studies and Planning Commons Recommended Citation Benfield, Anne V., "The -wN ord : comprehending the complexity of stratification in American community settings" (2009). Honors Theses. 1433. https://digitalworks.union.edu/theses/1433 This Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Work at Union | Digital Works. It has been accepted for inclusion in Honors Theses by an authorized administrator of Union | Digital Works. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The N-Word: Comprehending the Complexity of Stratification in American Community Settings By Anne V. Benfield * * * * * * * * * Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for Honors in the Department of Sociology UNION COLLEGE June, 2009 Table of Contents Abstract 3 Introduction 4 Chapter One: Literature Review Etymology 7 Early Uses 8 Fluidity in the Twentieth Century 11 The Commercialization of Nigger 12 The Millennium 15 Race as a Determinant 17 Gender Binary 19 Class Stratification and the Talented Tenth 23 Generational Difference 25 Chapter Two: Methodology Sociological Theories 29 W.E.B DuBois’ “Double-Consciousness” 34 Qualitative Research Instrument: Focus Groups 38 Chapter Three: Results and Discussion Demographics 42 Generational Difference 43 Class Stratification and the Talented Tenth 47 Gender Binary 51 Race as a Determinant 55 The Ambiguity of Nigger vs.
    [Show full text]
  • Asian and Pacific Islander Ending the Epidemic Advisory Group Implementation Strategies
    Photo: API Advisory Group, January 2020 Asian and Pacific Islander Ending the Epidemic Advisory Group Implementation Strategies For Presentation to the New York State AIDS Advisory Council Ending the Epidemic Subcommittee July 15th, 2020 Contents Asian and Pacific Islander Ending the Epidemic Advisory Group Members ....................................... 2 Introduction: ............................................................................................................................ 3 Historical Context ..................................................................................................................... 4 Advisory Group Process: ............................................................................................................ 7 Focus Area 1: Data .................................................................................................................... 8 Focus Area 2: Trust-Building and Stigma Reduction ......................................................................19 Focus Area 3: Prevention, Linkage and Retention.........................................................................28 Resources: ............................................................................................................................29 1 Asian and Pacific Islander Ending the Epidemic Advisory Group Members Chair: Therese Rodriguez, Apicha Community Health Center NYS Department of Health, AIDS Institute Liaisons: Sean Ball, JD, Office of Planning and Community Affairs Margaret Brown, Office of Planning
    [Show full text]
  • Performing the Self on Survivor
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Texas A&M Repository TEMPORARILY MACHIAVELLIAN: PERFORMING THE SELF ON SURVIVOR An Undergraduate Research Scholars Thesis by REBECCA J. ROBERTS Submitted to the Undergraduate Research Scholars program at Texas A&M University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the designation as an UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH SCHOLAR Approved by Research Advisor: Dr. James Ball III May 2018 Major: Performance Studies Psychology TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................................. 1 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ........................................................................................................ 2 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................... 3 CHAPTERS I. OUTWIT. OUTPLAY. OUTLAST ......................................................................... 8 History of Survivor ............................................................................................ 8 Origin Story of Survivor .................................................................................. 10 Becoming the Sole Survivor ............................................................................ 12 II. IDENTITY & SELF-PRESENTATION ................................................................ 17 Role Performance ...........................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Questioning Whiteness: “Who Is White?”
    人間生活文化研究 Int J Hum Cult Stud. No. 29 2019 Questioning Whiteness: “Who is white?” ―A case study of Barbados and Trinidad― Michiru Ito1 1International Center, Otsuma Women’s University 12 Sanban-cho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan 102-8357 Key words:Whiteness, Caribbean, Barbados, Trinidad, Oral history Abstract This paper seeks to produce knowledge of identity as European-descended white in the Caribbean islands of Barbados and Trinidad, where the white populations account for 2.7% and 0.7% respectively, of the total population. Face-to-face individual interviews were conducted with 29 participants who are subjectively and objectively white, in August 2016 and February 2017 in order to obtain primary data, as a means of creating oral history. Many of the whites in Barbados recognise their interracial family background, and possess no reluctance for having interracial marriage and interracial children. They have very weak attachment to white hegemony. On contrary, white Trinidadians insist on their racial purity as white and show their disagreement towards interracial marriage and interracial children. The younger generations in both islands say white supremacy does not work anymore, yet admit they take advantage of whiteness in everyday life. The elder generation in Barbados say being white is somewhat disadvantageous, but their Trinidadian counterparts are very proud of being white which is superior form of racial identity. The paper revealed the sense of colonial superiority is rooted in the minds of whites in Barbados and Trinidad, yet the younger generations in both islands tend to deny the existence of white privilege and racism in order to assimilate into the majority of the society, which is non-white.
    [Show full text]
  • Trailer Trash” Stigma and Belonging in Florida Mobile Home Parks
    Social Inclusion (ISSN: 2183–2803) 2020, Volume 8, Issue 1, Pages 66–75 DOI: 10.17645/si.v8i1.2391 Article “Trailer Trash” Stigma and Belonging in Florida Mobile Home Parks Margarethe Kusenbach Department of Sociology, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33620, USA; E-Mail: [email protected] Submitted: 1 August 2019 | Accepted: 4 October 2019 | Published: 27 February 2020 Abstract In the United States, residents of mobile homes and mobile home communities are faced with cultural stigmatization regarding their places of living. While common, the “trailer trash” stigma, an example of both housing and neighbor- hood/territorial stigma, has been understudied in contemporary research. Through a range of discursive strategies, many subgroups within this larger population manage to successfully distance themselves from the stigma and thereby render it inconsequential (Kusenbach, 2009). But what about those residents—typically white, poor, and occasionally lacking in stability—who do not have the necessary resources to accomplish this? This article examines three typical responses by low-income mobile home residents—here called resisting, downplaying, and perpetuating—leading to different outcomes regarding residents’ sense of community belonging. The article is based on the analysis of over 150 qualitative interviews with mobile home park residents conducted in West Central Florida between 2005 and 2010. Keywords belonging; Florida; housing; identity; mobile homes; stigmatization; territorial stigma Issue This article is part of the issue “New Research on Housing and Territorial Stigma” edited by Margarethe Kusenbach (University of South Florida, USA) and Peer Smets (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, the Netherlands). © 2020 by the author; licensee Cogitatio (Lisbon, Portugal). This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribu- tion 4.0 International License (CC BY).
    [Show full text]
  • {PDF} Tar Baby Pdf Free Download
    TAR BABY PDF, EPUB, EBOOK Toni Morrison | 320 pages | 08 Jun 2004 | Random House USA Inc | 9781400033447 | English | New York, United States Tar Baby | Disney Wiki | Fandom He makes his way to the mansion on top of the tallest hill, enters the unlocked home and lives there almost unnoticed for five days. During that time he steals a little food, mostly chocolate, and a few bottles of water. He hides in closets and only comes out at night. She too is black… mulatto actually, the niece of the servants. Her name is Jadine Jade. Son steals into her room at night just to watch her sleep, night after night, and he falls in love with her. One night she goes into her closet to get some clothes and finds Son just sitting there, a huge black man She becomes frantic, screams, and Sydney comes with a gun and brings Son down into the dining room. The two chat; Jade joins the conversation, and Son is taken aback by her friendliness to the old white man though he has been her patron and paid for her education at the Sorbonne. Son is allowed to live in the house for a few days while Valerian tries to get papers that will let him to go back to the US. So Valerian invites the servants to share Christmas dinner. The servants get dressed up and, during dinner, Ondine reveals what she alone knows: that Margret tortured young Michael as a little boy, she stuck pins in him, burned him with cigarettes, had to fight off the temptation to do much more.
    [Show full text]
  • Ed 304 500 Title Institution Pub Date Note Available From
    DOCUMENT RESUME ED 304 500 UD 026 678 TITLE Recent Activities against Citizens and Residents of Asian Descent. Clearinghouse Publication No. 88. INSTITUTION Commission on Civil Rights, Washington, D.C. PUB DATE 87 NOTE 99p. AVAILABLE FROMU.S. Commission on Civil Rights, Washington, DC 20425. PUB TYPE Reports - Research/Technical (143) -- Information Analyses (070) -- Legal/Legislative/Regulatory Materials (090) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC04 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS *Asian Americans; Crime; *Ethnic Discrimination; Ethnic Distribution; Ethnic Relations; Ethnic Stereotypes; Federal Legislation; Immigrants; Racial Discrimination; Refugees; State Legislation; Victims of Crime; *Violence IDENTIFIERS *Immigration Law; Refugee Resettlement ABSTRACT This report describes some recent examples of racially motivated conduct directed against Asian Americans, and identifies factors that contribute to them. The report reviews the following sources of information: (1) literature on the topic; (2) hearings by local human rights agencies; (3) data from the Bureau of the Census, the Office of Refugee Resettlement, and the Immigratio- and Naturalization Service; (4) state laws on racially motivated crimes; and (5) field investigations in eight states and the District of Columbia. Chapter 1 is an overview of early, discriminatory legislation and other activities directed against Asian immigrants and Americans of Asian ancestry in the United States. The chapter also examines more recent legislation liberalizing the immigration laws. Chapter 2 describes the geographic distribution of persons of Asian descent and their socioeconomic status relative to that of Whites. Chapter 3 discusses factors that contribute to racially motivated activities against persons of Asian ancestry. Chapter 4 discusses some apparently racially motivated incidents that have occurred in various parts of the country since the 1982 murder of Vincent Chin, a Chinese American, and the community responses to them.
    [Show full text]
  • August 2008 New
    “To have been given this opportunity and to be able to share music with people is just the best feeling ever.” ST —David Archuleta JU D avid Archuleta, a 17-year-old from Murray, Utah, a town A Dcentered in the Salt Lake Valley, made it as one of the top two on American Idol, a television V singing competition. BY JANET THOMAS In one interview given while I Church Magazines in the middle of the competi- D tion, David was wondering about the changes that were coming with the fame of performing for millions of viewers each week. He said that he still felt like “I’m just David from Murray.” him as you saw on the The nation may have been surprised to hear show. That’s how he really is.” such a pure, clear voice coming from one so Was David the popular guy in school? young, but David’s classmates at school, and Jessica Judd, another of David’s friends says, especially those in seminary, were not surprised “If by popular you mean people like him, then at all. They already knew he had an amazing yes, everyone likes him. At lunch, you know voice because they get to hear him sing at how everyone has their own group to sit with. school programs and for seminary devotionals. You can never find David because he’s going Fellow contestant “Every time it’s his turn to do the class around talking to people. He cares about you.” and Church member devotional,” says Brother Justin Harper of the The Church is a major force in David’s life.
    [Show full text]
  • Constantly Battling Whiteness
    CONSTANTLY BATTLING WHITENESS: A CRITICAL CASE STUDY OF BLACK STUDENTS’ EXPERIENCES AT A PREDOMINATELY WHITE INSTITUTION Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Lane R. Washington, M.S. Graduate Program in Educational Studies The Ohio State University 2020 Dissertation Committee Dr. Marc P. Johnston-Guerrero, Chair Dr. Noelle W. Arnold Dr. Susan R. Jones Copyrighted by Lane R. Washington 2020 Abstract The purpose of this study was to describe the campus racial climate and the experiences of Black students at a Predominately White Institution (PWI). Using the Multi-Contextual Model for Diverse Learning Environments (MMDLE) as a theoretical framework and Critical Race Theory as an analytical tool, this research interrogated the ways in which race and racism shape the experiences of Black students at a uniquely structured PWI focused on social justice. Guided by a critical epistemological foundation, this critical case study addressed the following question: What is the campus racial climate for Black students at a social justice striving PWI? Additionally, several sub-questions, influenced by the five dimensions of the MMDLE, guiding the study were: (a) What historical aspects of the institution informed contemporary climate for Black students?; (b) How did the institutions' policies and practices influence Black students’ experiences with the racial climate?; (c) How did the racial composition of the university inform the campus racial climate?; (d) What did the cross-racial interactions look like for Black students and their peers?; and (e) How did Black students perceive the institution in terms of race? In the study, 24 students, 6 faculty, and 17 administrators with different races, ethnicities, ages, and experiences provided insights into the racial climate for Black students.
    [Show full text]
  • White Racial Identity Development Model for Adult Educators
    Kansas State University Libraries New Prairie Press Adult Education Research Conference 2009 Conference Proceedings (Chicago, IL) White Racial Identity Development Model for Adult Educators Carole L. Lund Alaska Pacific University Follow this and additional works at: https://newprairiepress.org/aerc Part of the Adult and Continuing Education Administration Commons This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License Recommended Citation Lund, Carole L. (2009). "White Racial Identity Development Model for Adult Educators," Adult Education Research Conference. https://newprairiepress.org/aerc/2009/papers/38 This is brought to you for free and open access by the Conferences at New Prairie Press. It has been accepted for inclusion in Adult Education Research Conference by an authorized administrator of New Prairie Press. For more information, please contact [email protected]. White Racial Identity Development Model for Adult Educators Carole L. Lund, Ed.D. Alaska Pacific University, USA Abstract: The white racial identity development model has implications for educators wishing to address racism. There are six pathways an adult educator might explore to understand where they are in the white racial identity development process—status quo to ally. Inadequacy in addressing racism paralyzes many from taking any action. The white racial identity development process leads one to progress from the status quo to become an advocate or ally. Frow and Morris (2000) addressed the identity of scholars: “Questions of identity and community are framed not only by issues of race, class, and gender but by a deeply political concern with place, cultural memory, and the variable terms of these scholars’ access to an ‘international’ space of debate” (p.
    [Show full text]
  • Stories Matter: the Complexity of Cultural Authenticity in Children's Literature (Pp
    DOCUMENT RESUME ED 480 339 CS 512 399 AUTHOR Fox, Dana L., Ed.; Short, Kathy G., Ed. TITLE Stories Matter: The Complexity of CulturalAuthenticity in Children's Literature. INSTITUTION National Council of Teachers of English, Urbana,IL. ISBN ISBN-0-8141-4744-5 PUB DATE 2003-00-00 NOTE 345p. AVAILABLE FROM National Council of Teachers ofEnglish, 1111 W. Kenyon Road, Urbana,.IL 61801-1096 (Stock no. 47445: $26.95members; $35.95 nonmembers). Tel: 800-369-6283 (Toll Free); Web site: http://www.ncte.org. PUB TYPE Books (010).-- Collected Works General (020) -- Opinion Papers (120) EDRS PRICE EDRS Price MF01/PC14 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS *Childrens Literature; *Cultural Context; ElementaryEducation; *Literary Criticism; *Multicultural Literature;Picture Books; Political Correctness; Story Telling IDENTIFIERS Trade Books ABSTRACT The controversial issue of cultural authenticity inchildren's literature resurfaces continually, always elicitingstrong emotions and a wide range of perspectives. This collection explores thecomplexity of this issue by highlighting important historical events, current debates, andnew questions and critiques. Articles in the collection are grouped under fivedifferent parts. Under Part I, The Sociopolitical Contexts of Cultural Authenticity, are the following articles: (1) "The Complexity of Cultural Authenticity in Children's Literature:Why the Debates Really Matter" (Kathy G. Short and Dana L. Fox); and (2)"Reframing the Debate about Cultural Authenticity" (Rudine Sims Bishop). Under Part II,The Perspectives of Authors,
    [Show full text]