Asian Americana: The Invention of the Model Minority Stereotype
Ellen D. Wu
You know the “model minority” story: Asian Americans as assimilated, professional, quiet. Ellen Wu‘s new book The Color of Success shows that this wasn’t just a chance myth, but a concerted effort of liberal journalists, government officials, and scientists to create a narrative to combat and control the black liberation struggles, a Japanese population liberated from camps, and America’s ongoing warfare.
Her presentation will be joined by a screening of some archival footage used in her research, in order to imagine the world of 1940s-60s Americana that fostered the model minority image.
Ellen D. Wu is assistant professor of history at Indiana University, Bloomington.
Save a seat here!
Upcoming Events
March 22 7:30 PM
Where are you from . . . ? No—where are you from from?” It’s a question every Asian American gets asked, the refrain of an incessant chorus saying you’ll never belong here, you’re a perpetual foreigner, you’ll always be seen as an alien, an object, or a threat. Monica Youn’s...
March 23 7:00 PM
Join us for an in-person event with debut author Jinwoo Chong for a discussion of his debut novel Flux. Joining Jinwoo in conversation is New York Times best-selling author Alexander Chee. This event will be hosted in the Strand Book Store's 3rd floor Rare Book Room at 828 Broadway on 12th Street.
April 5 7:00 PM
Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai and Vanessa Chan
RSVP HERE! On April 5th at 7 PM ET, the Asian American Writers’ Workshop presents a celebration of best-selling author Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai’s latest novel, DUST CHILD, a convergence of lineage and memory borne from decisions made in time of war. Chanel Miller says, “In DUST CHILD, rupture leads...
