Overview

Although Asians are often depicted as a “model minority,” there have been contrasting images of Asian Americans throughout U.S. history. In the 19th century, many laborers saw Chinese immigrants as a threat, claiming they were taking their jobs and driving down wages. Those fears led to the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act, an attempt to prevent Chinese immigrants from settling in the country. In 1917, immigrants from all of Asia were restricted from coming through the Asiatic Barred Zone Act, also known as the Immigration Act of 1917. A little more than a generation later, Japanese immigrants, alongside many U.S.-born residents and their U.S. citizen children, were incarcerated in internment camps during World War II. Without evidence, people of Japanese ancestry were treated as a 5th column, loyal to Japan. 

After the second world war, a new stereotype began to emerge. The idea was that East Asians were a model minority, hard-working, and therefore good for the country. The model minority stereotype exists alongside other stereotypes of Asians. This short video from the Washington Post explores the idea of the model minority myth and the historical context in which it developed.

Essential and Guiding Questions:

• What are the public stories of migration?
• What messages about migration are people hearing through media and thought leaders?
• How can we assess whether available public stories about migration are reliable and representative?
• How do stories of migration influence how people think and (re)act?

Learning Goals:

• To learn about the evolution of stereotypes about Asian immigrants and their descendants.
• To consider the impact of those stereotypes
• To promote reflection on the significance of stereotypes against Asians and other groups.

Teaching Suggestions

• Observation.
  • Consider using the See-Feel-Think-Wonder Project Zero thinking routine to capture ideas during and after showing the film.
• Reflections
  • Ask students to consider what it means to be a model minority? Some people feel that it is positive to be perceived as a “model” for other groups. Are stereotypes ever positive? What harm is caused by the “model minority” stereotype?
  • One way to facilitate discussion on the film and to develop perspective is by structuring discussion with the step in, step out, and step back thinking routine.
  • The film might build on existing knowledge and ideas that your students have. One way to help them connect is by using the connect-extend-challenge thinking routine.
• Consider the significance
  • To wrap up, it is helpful to work with students to identify the significance of the information and ideas that surfaced in the film and in the discussion. A helpful routine to promote reflection on the significance is the Project Zero Three Whys routine.
• Taking Action
  • To extend the discussion, encourage students to think about what they can do to disrupt and prevent the spread of stereotypes like those introduced in the film. Here is a link to several routines that can help students begin to develop their own plans of action.
• Learn more
  • NBC News writes, “Almost half of all Asian roles serve as a punchline, study finds.In top grossing films from 2010 to 2019, Asian Americans were often the butt of the joke, and AAPI women were disproportionately sexualized.”
  • Nancy Wang Yuen explores the history of racism in Hollywood in the book Reel Inequality: Hollywood Actors and Racism