Essay On Asian Identity

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Asians have battled against political, social, and economic dynamics that continue to redefine their identities and livelihood. In particular, systematic migration, indenture, and racism have created disparities across multiple domains. These systems contributed to the reshaping of Asian identity, which in turn impacted their sense of belonging. Three different contexts discussed in class provide a framework for understanding how acts of agency reframed their identity and facilitated or inhibited inclusion and equality.
The "Asian American movement" is distinct in that it challenged predominant conceptions of an established identity by creating a new identity for Asians. For many ethnic Asians, the 1960s and 70s were periods of political activism that benefited them greatly. Asian activists banned together, forming a common identity as "Asian Americans." Their organizations and programs provided ethnic groups with political, social, and economic structures that challenged those of white America and set the foreground for the creation of this identity. As "Asian Americans," activists sought to eliminate stereotypes, discrimination, and exclusion that have pervaded throughout their history. Their resistance towards negative representations directed at them manifested in the form of social and political movements.
The union between students and the Third World Liberation Front (TWLF) played a pivotal role in creating a new identity for Asians. More specifically, student activists at San Francisco State University facilitated social change by exposing students from different and similar backgrounds to communities "cut off from higher education resources" (Lee 301). Many also formed organizations such as the Intercollegiate Chinese...

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...stance, the photo features generations of Chinese, including women and people who did not build the railroad. If one were to do a “before and after,” the differences would be striking. This photo recognizes their achievements while also showing their overwhelming presence in America. Literally, the photo is trying to show that Asians “were here and are here” and in doing so, denounces the systems that have excluded Chinese for so long. It is a response to the discrimination that Asians have faced and confronts society with the reality of Asian inclusion. After all, there wouldn’t be a need to re-document this point in history had the Chinese been credited for their contributions. Therefore, the contrast between the old and new photos has a great impact in that it prompts audiences to question the issues that sparked the exclusion of Chinese in the first place.

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