아시아계 이민의 확산과 미국 주도문화세력의 경계짓기 고찰

Abstract

This paper is studying how the rapid expansion of Asian Immigration throughout 20th century has had effects on the economic and social America and how the American dominant cultural forces have imposed borders and restriction on Asian Americans. The first chapter examined this theme with Immigrant Act which commands more discrimination on Asian than any other ethnic group. The American citizen has been defined over against the Asian immigrant, legally, economically, and culturally. This paper shows that Immigrant acts, then, attempts to name the contradictions of Asian immigration. The second chapter focuses on the epistemologic gap between Asian Americans and American mainstream scholars on the stereotype of “Model Minority” and L.A. Riot in 1992. The model minority stereotype can be summarized as the belief that Asian Americans, through their hard work, intelligence and emphasis on education and achievement, have been successful in American society. But suffered from the contradictory immigration act, Asian Americans scholars have doubts it as the dominant social strategy. It detaches Asians from other racial minorities by hailing them as model, while it distinguishes them from the true nationals by calling Asians their minor. On the contrary, the American mainstream scholars don't have any doubt about the implied intention or cultural implications of the model minority myth. McGowan and Lindgren prove that the doubt and hypothesis are not valid through the survey of non-Hispanic white Americans, as if the epistemologic structure and emotion structure on race which have been infused historically could be proved through the survey and test and results. L.A. riot in 1992 eminently shows Asians can be the easily victimized mortgage whenever the dominant people are threatened whereas they hold up Asians as the model minority. Nopper, a mainstream scholar, criticized the Asian scholars' comment on L.A. riot as the Abondonment Narrative which conceals sinister political intention. The third chapter studies the specific text, Chang-rae Lee's Native Speaker to find out American dominant cultural forces' bordering on the Asian Americans. John Kwang's political ideal and failure dramatize the gap between American economic imperatives and political imperatives. John Kwang's drama shows the ethnic minority's strict limited area when he tried to climb up the political ladder not just socio- economical ladder. When Asian American politician dares to cross the border which is not allowed by the dominant people, the nation's effective way to thwart him is reducing the issue as racial, evoking the anxiety and hatred from the American dominant people.