Examines the meaning of ethnicity for later-generation Chinese and Japanese Americans, and asks how the racialized ethnic experience differs from the white ethnic experience. Material is based on interviews with 95 middle-class Chinese and Japanese Californians, who respond to questions on experiences with Chinese and Japanese culture, current lifestyle and emerging cultural practices, experiences with racism and discrimination, and attitudes on immigration. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Examines the meaning of ethnicity for later-generation Chinese and Japanese Americans, and asks how the racialized ethnic experience differs from the white ethnic experience. Material is based on interviews with 95 middle-class Chinese and Japanese Californians, who respond to questions on experiences with Chinese and Japanese culture, current lifestyle and emerging cultural practices, experiences with racism and discrimination, and attitudes on immigration. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Dr. Pyong Gap Min and Rose Kim present a compilation of narratives on ethnic identity written by first-, 1.5-, and second-generation Asian American professionals. In an attempt to reconcile the dichotomies long associated with being both Asian and American, these narratives trace the formation of each author's ethnic identity and discuss its importance in shaping his or her professional career. The narratives touch upon common themes of prejudice and discrimination, loss and retention of ethnic subculture, ethnic versus non-ethnic friendship networks, and racial and inter-racial dating patterns. When coupled with Dr. Min's comprehensive introductory chapter on contemporary trends in the study of ethnicity, these narratives prove that constructing one's ethnicity is truly a dynamic process and serve as an invaluable resource for anyone interested in teaching or studying the concepts of ethnic identity.

In Racial Melancholia, Racial Dissociation critic David L. Eng and psychotherapist Shinhee Han draw on case histories from the mid-1990s to the present to explore the social and psychic predicaments of Asian American young adults from Generation X to Generation Y. Combining critical race theory with several strands of psychoanalytic thought, they develop the concepts of racial melancholia and racial dissociation to investigate changing processes of loss associated with immigration, displacement, diaspora, and assimilation. These case studies of first- and second-generation Asian Americans deal with a range of difficulties, from depression, suicide, and the politics of coming out to broader issues of the model minority stereotype, transnational adoption, parachute children, colorblind discourses in the United States, and the rise of Asia under globalization. Throughout, Eng and Han link psychoanalysis to larger structural and historical phenomena, illuminating how the study of psychic processes of individuals can inform investigations of race, sexuality, and immigration while creating a more sustained conversation about the social lives of Asian Americans and Asians in the diaspora.

The purpose of Unhooking from Whiteness: The Key to Dismantling Racism in the United States is to reconsider the ways and strategies in which antiracist scholars do their work, as well as to provide pragmatic ways in which people – White and of color – can build cross-racial, cross-communal, and cross-institutional coalitions to fight White supremacy. Employing the methodology of autoethnography, each chapter in this book illustrates the individual journey that the chapter contributor took to “unhook” him or herself from Whiteness. Unhooking from Whiteness explains Whiteness in ways never conceptualized before. The chapters suggest approaches to “unhooking” from Whiteness, while sharing the authors’ continual struggles to identify and eradicate the role of Whiteness in education and society in the United States. The contributors to Unhooking from Whiteness offer us the invaluable gift of their stories, humble reflections on commitments to racial justice and complicities with racial injustice. But they aren’t merely stories – and this is the brilliance of the book – they are invitations into a reconsideration of the “common sense” discussions about the nature of white privilege, the possibility of white anti-racism, and the pervasive tug of whiteness. This is the rare book that shifts the angle and changes the conversation. Paul Gorski, Coordinator of the Social Justice Concentration, George Mason University

A leading voice in the Asian American community tackles what it means to be Asian American in contemporary America. This explosive book examines the current state of civil rights in the U.S. through the unique experiences of Asian Americans and how they view the democratic process.

This book provides a comprehensive introduction to the study of Asian American participation in US politics. Written to be easily accessible to students, the book covers historical and cultural context, political behavior and attitudes, interest groups and parties, elected officials, and public policies that have an important impact on Asian Americans. The role of identity provides an organizing theme which allows students to see connections between different aspects of Asian American politics. Andrew Aoki and Okiyoshi Takeda explain how the fate of Asian Americans has been powerfully influenced by the way they have been portrayed in the media, and more generally, in US society. Students are introduced to the “forever foreigner” image, which has helped to marginalise Asian Americans, and the “model minority” myth, which can give policymakers misleading impressions. The book also stresses how Asian Americans have worked to take control of their image and political fortunes. Students learn how the Asian American Movement helped to promote a “panethnic” identity which could strengthen Asian American political influence. Asian American Politics is a lively and accessible introduction, ideal for students taking courses in race and politics. For more information and resources visit the accompanying series website: www.politybooks.com/minoritypol