Asian American Refugee Experience

While researching concepts related to the Model Minority Myth, such as the American Dream, melting pot, and other topics related to the stereotypical narrative of Asians in America, there seemed to be a pattern that I began to take note of. Many of these Asian American experiences are described from the perspective of East Asians, and most of these stereotypes are applied to East Asians. In my own case, my parents came to America as refugees, not immigrants, so the Asian American journey even began differently than many of these East Asian Americans. I think that a significant part of the failure that I have felt in molding and exploring my Asian American identity, was the fact that I am Southeast Asian. The media that I grew up consuming, and the mentions of Asian history in academics has usually disregarded Southeast Asia. This reading will be a good source in helping me fill in the blanks that I have in terms of historical context. It establishes the differences between what being an immigrant and refugee means, which I think is essential when developing my research because of my parents background as refugees. The article also provides a first-hand perspective from Viet hanh Nguyen’s experience as a refugee due to the Vietnam War. This war was the same war that also forced my family to leave our home country, so I think this piece will serve as a source for both historical context while also adding to the familial and inclusive aspect of my research project.

Goyal, Y. (2018). “Un-American: Refugees and the Vietnam War”. PMLA/Publications of the Modern Language Association of America, 133(2), 378-383.