Asian American Identity

What does it mean to be Asian American? Crafting a coherent and accurate description of Asian Americans is challenging for many reasons. First, Asian Americans are quite heterogenous. Individuals of Japanese, Pakistani, Indian, and Thai descent could all technically identify themselves as Asian Americans. Is this bad? Personally, I support the inclusive approach to defining Asian Americans, but I am troubled that many people tend to stereotype us as "all the same." We need to recognize the diversity that exists WITHIN a single demographic variable.

Second, I believe Asian Americans are a fascinating group of people, because they represent a cultural fusion of Eastern and Western cultures. As a communication scholar, many theories focus on Eastern OR Western cultures. Asian Americans can demonstrate how Eastern and Western cultures can harmoniously transcend beyond a mutually exclusive approach to cultural studies.

I look forward to sharing my personal exploration of Asian Americans and identity through this blog. Please feel free to post comments or email me at hanasolk@muohio.edu.