Entry by Lauren Nader<\/p>\n
Definition:<\/b><\/p>\n
Since its introduction by sociologist William Petersen in 1966, the term <\/span>model minority<\/span><\/i> has seen an increase in usage in popular media. The term refers to \u201cminority groups that have ostensibly achieved a high level of success in contemporary society. For instance, the term has been used most often to describe Asian Americans, a group seen as having attained educational and financial success relative to other immigrant groups (Model Minority Section, 2011:173). Generally speaking, the term itself is now used to describe any minority group – primarily ethnic minority groups, who cross socioeconomic boundaries, to demonstrate success in areas such as academia, finance, and social status.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Historical context:<\/b><\/p>\n The term was first introduced to popular media by William Peterson, who wrote an article for the New York Times titled<\/span> \u201c<\/span>Success Story: Japanese American Style<\/span><\/i><\/a>\u201d.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n Petersen emphasised that family structure and a cultural emphasis on hard work allowed Japanese Americans to overcome the discrimination against their group and achieve a measure of success in the United States. Numerous popular press articles subsequently appeared describing the “successes” of various Asian American groups.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n This is of particular issue in the United States where the notion of the \u2018American Dream\u2019 combined with civil rights movements and racial inequalities, pitted one minority group against another to showcase that \u2018success\u2019 was possible if you had the right mindset. As Sahar El-Kotob (2021) writes:<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cImages and stories of a hard-working minority group overcoming racial barriers and moving up the socioeconomic ladder became a convenient avenue to create a fa\u00e7ade that the United States is a racial democracy and to deny the legitimate demands of other racialized groups, especially African Americans, seeking racial equity and government accountability.\u201d<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n The term remains controversial even today, especially in its application towards the Asian diaspora. Many groups aim to dispel the concept of the model minority as myth, as it generalises the lived experience of minority groups without looking at other important indicators of success as well as barriers to entry. To put it shortly, there is a plethora of complex experiences that make up life, and we cannot sum it up in one concise term. Thus it is more precise to refer to the model minority as the model minority myth (MMM).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Model Minority is intrinsically linked to colonial narratives that seek to assimilate and mould minority groups into \u201csuccessful, law-abiding and non threatening persons of colour, especially in a manner that contrasts <\/span>other <\/span><\/i>minority groups\u201d (El-Kotob, 2021).<\/span><\/p>\n Some consequences of the model minority myth include:<\/span><\/p>\n Within the UK:<\/b><\/p>\n East and Southeast Asians are now one of the <\/span>fastest growing ethnic groups<\/span><\/a> in the UK.\u00a0 A good percentage of the demographic are being students – both national and international. Nevertheless, discrimination and racial disadvantages are still subjected amongst this group. However, as Dr. Yeh writes, young East Asians are entering the dialogue and becoming part of the UK through unconventional means such as the nightlife and music space (Yeh, 2018):<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIn my research on British Chinese and East Asian nightlife spaces, what\u2019s important to young people is finding a sense of belonging and participating in global youth culture. They are just as concerned about being trendy and cool, sexually attractive and enjoying a sense of <\/span>cosmopolitan mobility<\/span><\/a> as any other young person.\u201d<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n A major issue with the MMM in the UK is its tendency to pit one ethnic group against another. For example, many outlets and British Media reports point to the success of the Indian and Asian diaspora\u2019s success.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The problem with the practice is that it pits ethnic minority groups, which could otherwise be allies, against each other. It perpetuates stereotypes in and outside the group and, worst of all, it gives governments, companies and institutions of power a mask for their own systemic racism. It completely ignores the fact that one minority group may face very different challenges or levels of racism than another (Dewan, 2020).<\/span><\/p>\n Within higher education:<\/b><\/p>\n Scholars are well aware of the impact of MMM within higher education, with pedagogies seeing a shift in examining the ways MMM is \u201cconceptually framed\u201d, seeking to \u201crethink educational discourse and inquiry\u2026in higher education\u201d (Poon et al., 2016:470) and how scholars are often “complicit in framing non dominant students and their communities in ways that reinscribe and support dominant narratives” (Gutierrez, 2006:227).<\/span><\/p>\n Wong (2015) discusses three main issues with upholding the MMM within higher education:<\/span><\/p>\n In the UK, universities have a large body of international students, particularly from the Far East. The \u2018Chinese Student\u2019 is seen as a homogeneous entity that is stereotyped as a cash cow or a scapegoat, yet their role in contemporary British society is often overlooked. City University recently held a talk in June 2021 titled \u201c<\/span>Cash Cow, Scapegoat and Model Minority: Chinese Students in the UK,\u201d<\/span><\/i> aimed at sharing the diverse experiences of Chinese students and their role in British society. One Chinese student wrote the following:<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cOnce my (British) classmate asked me: Are all Chinese students studying in the UK come from rich families (like in Crazy Rich Asians)? I do not know whether this was a joke or whether she was serious. I come from a working-class family and my parents had to save up money for me to study abroad.\u201d<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n You can read more about the discussion points <\/span>here<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Suggested Readings:<\/b><\/p>\n Chow, K. (2017). \u201cModel Minority\u201d Myth Again Used As A Racial Wedge Between Asians And Blacks. [online] <\/span>Npr.org.<\/span><\/i> Available at: <\/span>https:\/\/www.npr.org\/sections\/codeswitch\/2017\/04\/19\/524571669\/model-minority-myth-again-used-as-a-racial-wedge-between-asians-and-blacks<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Fukui, M. (2018). Being a good, quiet and assimilated \u201cmodel minority\u201d is making me angry | Masako Fukui. <\/span>The Guardian.<\/span><\/i> Available at: <\/span>https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2018\/jul\/28\/being-a-good-quiet-and-assimilated-model-minority-is-making-me-angry<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Hartlep N. D. and Hayes C. (2013). Interrupting the Racial Triangulation of Asians. In: Hayes C. and Hartlep N. D. (eds). Unhooking from Whiteness. Constructing Knowledge (Curriculum Studies in Action). Sense Publishers: Rotterdam.<\/span><\/p>\n MCC, J.S. (2021). Council Post: Are You Unconsciously Buying Into The Model Minority Stereotype? <\/span>Forbes<\/span><\/i>. Available at: <\/span>https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/forbescoachescouncil\/2021\/03\/17\/are-you-unconsciously-buying-into-the-model-minority-stereotype\/<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Nguyen, V.T. (2020). Asian Americans Are Still Caught in the Trap of the \u201cModel Minority\u201d Stereotype. And It Creates Inequality for All. <\/span>Time<\/span><\/i>. Available at: <\/span>https:\/\/time.com\/5859206\/anti-asian-racism-america\/<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n YouTube. (2021). East-Asian stereotypes, the china doll, dragon lady, & the Model minority | Khadija Mbowe. Available at: <\/span>https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=d6XGA-NhuTo<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Reference List:<\/b><\/p>\n Choi, Y., & Lahey, B. B. (2006). Testing the Model Minority Stereotype: Youth Behaviours across Racial and Ethnic Groups. <\/span>The Social service review<\/span><\/i>, <\/span>80 <\/span><\/i>(3), 419\u2013452.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n CNN, A. by A.D. (2020). Indians are being held up as a model minority. That\u2019s not helping the Black Lives Matter movement. <\/span>CNN.<\/span><\/i> Available at: <\/span>https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2020\/06\/29\/world\/indians-migrant-minority-black-lives-matter-intl\/index.html<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Gutierrez, K. (2006). White innocence: A framework and methodology for rethinking educational discourse and inquiry. International Journal of Learning, 12.<\/span><\/p>\n Lerners. (2021). Unapologetically Asian: The \u201cModel Minority\u201d Myth | Lerners LLP. Available at: <\/span>https:\/\/www.lerners.ca\/lernx\/unapologetically-asian-the-model-minority-myth\/<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Model Minority Section (2011). Available at: <\/span>https:\/\/depts.washington.edu\/sibl\/Publications\/Model%20Minority%20Section%20(2011).pdf<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The British Academy. (2018). How young British East and Southeast Asians are engaging in a new politics of belonging. Available at: <\/span>https:\/\/www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk\/blog\/how-young-british-east-southeast-asians-engaging-politics-belonging\/<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n The Practice. (n.d.). A Snapshot of the Asian American Community. Available at: <\/span>https:\/\/thepractice.law.harvard.edu\/article\/a-snapshot-of-the-asian-american-community\/<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Poon, O., Squire, D., Kodama, C., Byrd, A., Chan, J., Manzano, L. and Bishundat, D. (2016). A Critical Review of the Model Minority Myth in Selected Literature on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in Higher Education. <\/span>Review of Educational Research,<\/span><\/i> 86<\/span><\/i>(2), 469-502. Available at: <\/span>http:\/\/www.jstor.org\/stable\/24752861<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n\n
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