Margins and Mainstreams: Asians in American History and Culture [Paperback]

Gary Y. Okihiro (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0295973390 | ISBN-13: 978-0295973395 | Publication Date: April 1994

In a thoughtful and stimulating contribution to the current debate about the meaning to the larger society of multiculturalism, Gary Okihiro explores the significance of Asian Americans in American history and culture. In six provocative and engaging essays he examines the Asian American experience from the perspectives of historical consciousness, race, gender, class, and culture. Much talk these days revolves around the idea of the mainstream, about the core of American history and culture, and about the dangers of straying from the original formulations that have made this country great. Pluralism and diversity, many argue, only serve to divide and fracture the nation. The core, rooted in Western civilization and the canon of "great books" must be recovered and preserved, and those on the margins, most notably racial minorities, must be absorbed into the mainstream. Or so the argument goes. Margins and Mainstreams argues that the core values and ideals of the nation emanate today not from the so-called mainstream but from the margins, from among Asian and African Americans, Latinos and American Indians, and women. Those groups, in their struggles for equality, have helped to preserve and advance the founders' ideals and have made America a more democratic place for all. While exploring anew the meanings of Asian American social history, the book reexamines the intellectual foundations and assumptions of the field of Asian American studies. It exposes the dominance of Eurocentrism and other hierarchies in the major theories that inform the field. It contextualizes the Asian American experience with that of African Americans and Latinos, and it advocates the intellectual convergence ofAsian, Asian American, and African American studies.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 222 pages
• Publisher: University of Washington Press (April 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0295973390
• ISBN-13: 978-0295973395
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #47,012 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Gary Y. Okihiro is professor of international and public affairs at Columbia University, and is the founding director of Columbia's Center for the Study of Ethnicity and Race. He is a past president of the Association for Asian American Studies, and the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Studies Association.

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4.0 out of 5 stars Deeper understandings, April 17, 2001

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This review is from: Margins and Mainstreams: Asians in American History and Culture (Paperback)

Gary Okihiro, in his book "Margin as Mainstream", examines the margins of historical consciousness, race, gender, class and culture of Asians by widening the discourse in a compelling and scholarly way. Okihiro offers these crucial viewpoints to gain a deeper understanding and a clearer perspective on the mainstream of America today. Okihiro suggests that the mainstream is neither uniform nor all-powerful but actually derives its identity from its representation of its "Other". Okihiro encompases the "other" marginalized groups such as African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, women, gays & lesbians in his book but focuses on how Asians have helped to redefine the meaning of the American identity and to expand it beyond the narrower idea of only white and black. In this wonderful contribution to Asian American studies, historical and legal scholars and Asians in general, Okihiro aptly surfaces and dives into the struggles of Asians in America in how it has helped preserve and advance the principles and ideals of democracy and thereby making America a freer place for all. A good read!