Forever Foreigners or Honorary Whites?: The Asian Ethnic Experience Today (Paperback)

~ (Author) "In 1994, a Los Angeles judge attained international notoriety by being assigned to the "Media Event of the Century..." (more)
Key Phrases: intentional prejudice, white ethnic experience, ethnic salience, United States, Los Angeles, San Francisco (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A compelling account of the ongoing acculturation of West Coast Asian Americans and their continuing experience of racism. Mia Tuan uses her sociological skills to paint a disturbing portrait of the hidden and not-so-hidden injuries of race suffered by Californians who have not been here for many generations, as well as an early warning of what the future might hold for some of our newest immigrants." -- Herbert Gans, Robert S. Lynd Professor of Sociology, Columbia University

"This well-written book advances our understanding of the changing and situational construction of American and ethnic identities by exploring the ways in which multigenerational Asian Americans constitute, express, and transform their identities." -- Yen Le Espiritu, author of Asian American Women and Men: Labor, Laws and Love

Product Description

This work examines the salience and meaning of ethnicity for later generation Chinese- and Japanese-Americans, and asks how their concepts of ethnicity differ from that of white ethnic Americans. The author analyzes the importance of ethnic identities and the concept of becoming a "real" American.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 216 pages
• Publisher: Rutgers University Press; 1 edition (March 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0813526248
• ISBN-13: 978-0813526249
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.7 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #790,854 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars forever foreigner > honorary white, November 24, 2008

By	A. Kim (US) - See all my reviews

as a forever foreigner born in this country, i could identify with a lot of the stuff in the book and i liked it a lot.

It would be great if she writes another book with the same debate since the make-up of Asian Americans changed quite a bit (at least the ethnic ratio). Majority of her respondents are post-WWII generation Chinese and Japanese Americans in Cali area so their experiences are kind of different from what the younger generation and Asian Americans from other ethnic origins would go through nowadays. for example, most young Asian Americans in college now are not likely identify with the psychological damages of internment.

if she comes up with another book, I'll probably buy it.

3 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Makes me wonder., July 6, 2004

By	Wes (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews

It was a very interesting read. In terms of society and personal experiences with Asians, I can say that I have normally assumed that they are foreigners. Though, now thinking back on the relationships and encounters that I have had with Asians, I now realize how incorrect that assumption was.

While the previous poster would be happy in being wrong 34% of the time, I don't see that as an option (using that example, it would say that most of us would have been content earning a D average all through grade school). They clearly missed a very key element of the book. That is, while someone may be American, the overwhelming portion of the population will make a rush judgement based on superficial characteristics (of interesting note, that 66% was down to 45.5% in 2003).

Overall, it was an interesting book, detailing how similar and different growing up "Asian-American" can be. Would have earned 5 stars had it not been dry in some spots.

6 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Very interesting, and yet...., October 17, 2003

By A Customer

This is a sound, solid study of contemporary Asian American identity. Lots to learn. Many interesting sociological findings: for instance, the way in which "ethnic" Asian identity is largely optional, and yet the "racial" aspect of being Asian is obviously not optional, and all that means for these peoples lives. The anecdotes and stories are very compelling, and one can really see how race and ethnicity are nebulous, contested, and ever-changing things.
And yet -- one of the main arguments made by the author is that no matter how long Asians have been in the USA (and Chinese immigrants came a LONG time ago!), Asian Americans are still seen as foreigners, as not "really" American. This is a compelling matter - and yet, on page 38, the author makes a rather startling admission: 66% of Asian-Am's are in fact foreign born! 66%!!! hello?! That means that MOST are indeed foreign born -- so if whites assume that Asians are not "really" from the USA, almost 7 out of 10 times, they will be correct. The same is simply not true for Italian or Irish Americans. This was a major deal to me, and the author just kept repeating and repeating how Asians are always seen as not really American. But when 66% are indeed foreign born, well.....?