Forever Foreigners Or Honorary Whites?: The Asian Ethnic Experience Today

Mia Tuan

Rutgers University Press, 1998 - Social Science - 202 pages

What does it mean to be an Asian-American in the United States today? Are Asian-Americans considered "honorary whites" or forever thought of as "foreigners?"

Mia Tuan examines the salience and meaning of ethnicity for later generation Chinese- and Japanese-Americans, and asks how their concepts of ethnicity differ from that of white ethnic Americans. She interviewed 95 middle-class Chinese and Japanese Californians and analyzes the importance of ethnic identities and the concept of becoming a "real" American for both Asian and white ethnics. She asks her subjects about their early memories and experiences with Chinese/Japanese culture; current lifestyle and emerging cultural practices; experiences with racism and discrimination; and attitudes toward current Asian immigration.

Contents

• Tables: 2
• Figures: 42
• Cars Girls and Baseballbut with: 48
• Neighborhood Influences: 76
• Emerging Identities and Practices: 127
• The Racialized: 152
• Appendix A Interview Questionnaire: 169
• Appendix B List of Respondents: 177
• Bibliography: 185
• Index: 195

About the author

Mia Tuan is an assistant professor of sociology at the University of Oregon.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Forever Foreigners Or Honorary Whites?: The Asian Ethnic Experience Today
• Author: Mia Tuan
• Edition: illustrated
• Publisher: Rutgers University Press, 1998
• ISBN: 0813526248, 9780813526249
• Length: 202 pages
• Subjects: Social Science / Ethnic Studies / American / Asian American & Pacific Islander Studies; Social Science / Ethnic Studies / General; Social Science / Minority Studies