History 346: Introduction to Asian American History

Prof. J. Wu

Questions for the following reading:

Yen Le Espiritu, Asian American Panethnicity: Bridging Institutions and Identities, pp. xi-52, and selections from Asian Americans: The Movement and the Moment and A Part yet Apart

1. What does Espiritu mean by the concept of panethnic group?

2. What are the priomordialist and the instrumentalist theories regarding ethnicity? What are the three critiques that Espiritu makes about these theories? What is her conception or focus regarding ethnicity?

3. Explain the following passage as it relates to Espiritu’s concept of ethnicity:

“Panethnic groups in the United States are products of political and social processes, rather than of cultural bonds. For these groups, culture has followed panethnic boundaries rather than defined them.” (p. 13)

4. What does Espiritu mean by the terms “ethnic disidentification” and “racial lumping?”

5. What factors lead to the rise of the Asian American movement? Explain the different ideological connotations of the terms “yellow,” “Oriental,” and “Asian American.” What role does Asian American Studies play in the development of Asian American identity? How did Asian American participation in the antiwar, New Left, and women’s movements develop the Asian American movement? Who tended to participate in pan-Asian organizations?

6. As you read excerpts from Asian Americans: The Movement and the Moment and A Part yet Apart consider what these life narratives and reflection essays reveal about the individuals who became political activists. Do their narratives confirm Espiritu’s argument? Do they offer you a different perspective about the motivations and agendas of activists? What are the similarities and differences between the various activists?

7. Identify the terms and explain their significance for Asian Americans.

multigroup enclaves

Asian American Political Alliance (AAPA)

Vietnam War

I Wor Kuen (IWK)

“triple oppression”

“cultural entrepreneurs”

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