...The development of Asian American theater during forty years in the book “A History of Asian American Theatre” tells us interesting stories about how the first four Asian American theater companies put their first steps in the industry and managed to go through all the obstacles such as the differences in culture, beliefs, achieving public grants that made the launch of those first Asian American theater companies possible. As it is mentioned in the book, the distinct history of the first companies and the unique vision of each company contributed to the blooming of today’s Asian American theater arts. Despite the differences in locations and way of operation, all of the first companies achieved the same goal, which was to make sure that the...
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...March 9, 2012 Asian Americans have been living among us for many decades. We see them throughout our everyday lives, we see their colorful culture. When was the last time we have asked ourselves what their experiences are today and throughout American history? Or, What have been the political, social, and cultural issues and concerns of Asian Americans throughout American history? Or how about what legislation meant to constrain race within prejudicial boundaries was enacted? How did the Asian American fight this legislation? And what legislation meant to alleviate prejudicial boundaries has been enacted? How did the they promote this legislation? During the beginning of the Gold Rush in California in the 1800s, the Asian American immigrant was welcomed, but had to live under restricted laws. One could assume that the Asian American did not have it easy in the beginning. From violence to being denied citizenship, the typical Asian person in America did not seem welcomed anymore. This is why there was no arrival from any Asian countries from the late 1800s and the end of WW2. However Asians were still not the most welcomed people in America, since they were thought to be spies and were ordered to live in camps much like the Jews in Eastern Europe during the war. Today in the 21st century, an Asian American is as much as an American as an child born on American soil. Though the experience throughout American history that includes Asian immigrants, Asian individuals are tougher...
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...Asian American Women Introduction Through out history, Asian American women have required "the armor of warriors" in order to survive. For a period of 150 years, Asian women have labored and raised families in the United States, overcoming exploitation and racism from their earliest days as prostitutes, domestic servants and farm workers. In the present day, Asian American women have a representation in the most prestigious professional and managerial jobs. Today, Asians are looked at as a "model minority" whose growing mobility stands as an illustration for other racial-ethnic groups (Amott & Matthaei, 1996). The first Asian immigrants arrived in the United States from China, with the first huge wave coming in the mid-19th century. As with other cultural minorities, the Chinese and later the Japanese, Asian Indians, Filipinos, Koreans, and a host of other groups immigrated to the United States to serve mainly as a source of cheap labor. These migration trends were related to bigger worldwide transformations started by Euro-American colonialism and industrial capitalism. By the start of the Great Depression, these groups formed the prevalent Asian populations in the United States. According to United States census data and other available reports, there were close to 56,000 Filipinos, 140,000 Japanese, 75,000 Chinese several thousand Koreans and Asian Indians and living in America in 1930, most living on the West Coast (Amott & Matthaei, 1996). The Asian populace in the United...
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...University. Professor Mishra’s main area of research lies in history , international relations and Asian studies. After retirement from Sambalpur University, Orissa, India; as a Professor in 2011, he took up assignment as visiting Professor at Northern University of Malaysia(UUM). CURRENT DESIGNATION Visiting Professor, UUM College of Law, Government and International Studies (COLGIS) Universiti Utara Malaysia 06010 UUM Sintok, Kedah DA, Malaysia. Malaysian phone numbers are , +60149344425, +60108049347. E-mail, ppmishra7@yahoo.com and/or patit@uum.edu.my ACADEMIC/RESEARCH/TEACHING INTEREST History, international relations and Asian studies. ------------------------------------------------- EDUCATION ------------------------------------------------- D. Litt.(1998) Rabindra Bharati University, Calcutta, Orissa in Trans-National Migration: A Study of Culture in Transit. ------------------------------------------------- Ph.D.(1979)Centre for South, Southeast and Central Asian Studies, J.N.U., New Delhi, ------------------------------------------------- The Problem of Laos: Its international dimensions since the Geneva Conference respectively. ------------------------------------------------- M.Phil (1972) Centre for South, Southeast and Central Asian Studies, J.N.U., New Delhi, The Pathet Lao Movement ------------------------------------------------- MA. (1972) History, Department of History, Delhi University, Delhi. Second Class. ------------------------------------------------- ...
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...Asian males are marginalized and their images distorted in the media. They are usually if not always portrayed as nerdy, effeminate, quiet, hard-working, overly-shy. Hollywood constantly perpetuate these jokes that Asian guys are undesirable and undateable and when trying to think of the last few known Asian roles in Hollywood, there's not much representation to go off of which is a problem that needs a positive change. The media has been around for quite some time now but when asked to name an Asian male lead in the media, many can't think of more than just a few to none. Especially when asked about a tv show or a movie where an Asian male is the romantic lead or someone who has a kiss scene with a non-Asian female, there is almost none in this country and that is because Asian males are being heavily desexualized in the media....
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...Between the 12th and 19th centuries, feudal Japan had an elaborate four tier class system. Unlike European feudal society, in which the peasants (or serfs) were at the bottom, the Japanese feudal class structure placed merchants on the lowest rung. Confucian ideals emphasized the importance of productive members of society, so farmers and fishermen had higher status than shop-keepers in Japan. At the top of the heap was the samurai class. The Samurai Class: Feudal Japanese society was dominated by the samurai warrior class. Although they made up only about 10% of the population, samurai and their daimyo lords wielded enormous power. When a samurai passed, members of the lower classes were required to bow and show respect. If a farmer or artisan refused to bow, the samurai was legally entitled to chop off the recalcitrant person's head. Samurai answered only to the daimyo for whom they worked. The daimyo, in turn, answered only to the shogun. There were about 260 daimyo by the end of the feudal era. Each daimyo controlled a broad area of land, and had an army of samurai. The Farmers / Peasants: Just below the samurai on the social ladder were the farmers or peasants. According to Confucian ideals, farmers were superior to artisans and merchants because they produced the food that all the other classes depended upon. Although technically they were considered an honored class, the farmers lived under a crushing tax burden for much of the feudal era. During the reign of...
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...Religious and Ethnic Groups Paper Religious and Ethnic Groups Paper Researching Reform Judaism and Asian decent I was able to learn about their hardships, contributions and beliefs. Reform Judaism beliefs * The Carrol (2010-2012) website defined: Reform Judaism began in the 19th century as a movement designed to bring Judaism into line with the ideas of the western European enlightenment. Reform Jews reject outright what they see as the dogmatic, outdated practices of Orthodox Jews and focus on the ethical dimensions of the faith instead of the traditional rituals, commandments and practices. Reform Jews moved the Sabbath from Saturday to Sundays, often read scriptures in the vernacular language instead of Hebrew, set aside the kosher dietary codes and the distinctive ways of dress, and often discarded circumcision as well. The guiding sensibility here is that in order for the religion to be relevant and authentic, it must be reformed and reinvigorated from time to time, which sometimes means changing the fundamental ways in which the religion is practiced. Reform Judaism is the largest form of Judaism in the United States. * Reform Judaism contribution to American culture * * In the field of medicine alone, Jewish contributions are staggering and continue to be so. It was a Jew who created the first polio vaccine, who discovered insulin, who discovered that aspirin dealt with pain, who discovered chloral hydrate for convulsions, who discovered...
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...Keri Birmingham Professor Jee Yoon Lee UW20 Asian American Experience December 9,2011 Eurasian: The New Face of Asia [ABSTRACT] My project is to prove that Eurasians are becoming the new face of Asia through the entertainment industry and mainstream media. Mixed-race models, musicians, and actors of Asian and Caucasian descent are becoming well known in Asian pop-culture such as Maggie Q, Sirinya Winsiri, and Karen Mok. Although, in the past Eurasians born in East Asia were perceived as children of subjugated Asian women that were shamefully dominated by Western imperialists in history, they are now viewed as internationally ideal. To elucidate, foreign imperialism to East Asia has caused economic ties that have influenced Asian popular culture through mainstream media and entertainment that is based on Western culture and their standard of beauty, which is Caucasian. However, global businesses search for any kind of marketing that will entice their target audience, which is now the European-Asian spokespersons and entertainers that provide an opportunity to reach out to audiences that were once racially divided. Their international appeal by the media has created a beauty standard and has inspired Asians, mostly in East Asia to dye their hair, wear colored contacts, or surgically widen they eyes to resemble more European looking eyes. European and Asian mixes are becoming the role models for Asians in Asia, where multiracial people are hardly found, and therefore portrayed...
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...murderer,” he knew this because when my sisters and I would talk about certain aspects of history he was there listening to everything. This was around the same time that we were discussing censorship through school curriculum so I felt that if my little brother understood it then other children could too. When he was talking about this it sounded a lot like the class was learning from a hegemonic device. School is where kids are being taught the “history” of how America came to be a diverse country. Through the course Culture Power and School Knowledge, one can see that the “history” being taught through the Master Narrative is one-sided. The Master Narrative focuses on “history” that comes from the people who hold power therefore excluding the actual experiences of the people of color meaning that it is a hegemonic device. Being a...
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...The ethnic group that I chose are Asian (Asian descent) The first settlement that is recorded is of Filipinos migrating to America in 1763. They came to America by escaping the imprisonment aboard Spanish galleons. When they escaped the Spanish galleons they fled into the bayous of Louisiana. As stated in the Ancestors in the Americas: Asian America history timeline, In the 1830s Chinese were "sugar masters" working in Hawaii. There were also Chinese sailors and peddlers in New York. Ancestors in the Americas: Asian America History Timeline, as retrieved from http://www.cetel.org/timeline.html A resource from one of the largest, up to date survey, which is the American Religious Identification surveys shows that not one religion can claim the majority for the Asian American Community. It shows a 27% of Asian Americans follow Eastern Religions such as Buddhist, Hindu, Taoist, Sikh. This report also shows that 17% of the Asian Community is Catholic. This percentage has declined from 27% in 1990. The Asian Nation website states, “Chinese Americans are the oldest and largest ethnic group of Asian ancestry in the United States. They have endured a long history of migration and settlement that dates back to the late 1840s…”, Lai, E., Arguelles, D. (2012) The New Face of Asian Pacific America: retrieved from http://www.asian-nation.org/chinese.shtml. Most Chinese immigrants arrived in the United States as contract labor. First in Hawaii for plantation followed by mining...
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...The Asian American Political Alliance “Asian Americans were never your quiet, passive-aggressive, model minority. We’re still not. We’re out there raising hell—fighting for our families, our communities, and ourselves. Try putting this in your chop suey.” Declaration of the Asian American Political Alliance, 1969. The 1960’s was a period that stained the United States’ history with anger and discontent. Indeed, it was a time were African Americans, Chicanos and other ethnic minorities felt lost in a culture of standardized racism and discrimination. Generally speaking, people were in the search of their identities while struggling to balance the importance of their immigrant roots with their integrity to America. The second or even third generation of young immigrants gradually became involved in this cause by getting involved in various movements mostly lead by college students. Indeed, College Campuses were the most favorable environments for youth activism since it represented a place where people from different religious and cultural backgrounds came together to strive for a common goal of being successful in life through academic enrichment. One particularly interesting youth activist group was the Asian American Political Alliance (AAPA) born in Berkeley in 1969. Based on the example of the AAPA , this paper will first analyze the goals and reasons that motivated the youth to take action, and then describe the means and tactics used. Finally, it will show the impact...
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...arguably none more so than that of Asian Americans. People often see Asians are the exception to racism, the successful marginalized group that highlights the American dream. This mindset has been captured in the idea of the “model minority”, referring to Asians and their perceived successes in the United States. The myth of Asians as the “model minority” is an idea constructed to protect white privilege and prosperity by creating a culture of racial minorities competing against each...
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...“What kind of Asian are you?” We are the forgotten. We are called the lucky ones; shunned by our fellow people of color. We sometimes do not even realize we are one of them. While the likelihood of an Asian boy being shot down by the police is far less than that of other boys of color – though violence against South Asians is very much an issue –, Asian Americans suffer through the institutionalized, and normalized racism just as black, or latinx do. It is a different kind of discrimination and oppression, but no less harmful. We are not, and have never been, white. The racism Asians experience is subtler, and less likely to be called out on. Asian slurs are common vernacular, while the mocking of our accents make you the highlight of a party....
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...diffusion and cultural borrowing remained a continuity throughout both Asia and Europe. These changes and continuities throughout the period would serve to augment the course of history for many years to come. One of the main distinguishing changes for...
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...of Law. In Frank Wu’s Yellow, he covers a lot of Asian American related topics, many of whom are covered in Asian American class, and he provides his social commentary on the subject matter. Frank Wu opens his books by recounting stories of his experiences as an Asian American and providing events in history that connect his personal experiences to the larger picture of being an Asian American. Yellow: Race in America Beyond Black and White then moves onto the topic of “The Model Minority”. The idea of the model minority is that Asian are the perfect minority, all prospering without any problems despite their past hardships due to the hard work Asian put in without any complaints. However, this idea is rejected as a myth for three reasons. First off, it is highly inaccurate as a representation of all Asians in America. When you break down the difference between native Asian Americans and immigrant Asians, native-born Asian Americans do significantly poorer in education. And for those who do finish college, there is a lower return on investment as Asians are found to make less than their equivalent white counterparts. Immigrant...
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