Table Of ContentAsian American
Educators and
Microaggressions
More Than Just Work(ers)
Andrew Wu
Asian American Educators and Microaggressions
Andrew Wu
Asian American
Educators and
Microaggressions
More Than Just Work(ers)
Andrew Wu
Irvine, CA, USA
ISBN 978-3-031-23458-3 ISBN 978-3-031-23459-0 (eBook)
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-23459-0
© The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer
Nature Switzerland AG 2023
This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the
Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of
translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on
microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval,
electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now
known or hereafter developed.
The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this
publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are
exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use.
The publisher, the authors, and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information
in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the
publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, expressed or implied, with respect to
the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The
publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and
institutional affiliations.
Cover illustration: © Alex Linch shutterstock.com
This Palgrave Macmillan imprint is published by the registered company Springer Nature
Switzerland AG.
The registered company address is: Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland
To My Family- RKW, AKW and BW whose support helped make this book
possible
P
reface
I recently had a conversation with a colleague who expressed surprise that
Asian Americans (AA) faced discrimination. His experience with AAs while
at a large state university was one that AAs were highly successful and did
not face racism or unequal treatment. This perception of AAs as the model
minority did not surprise me as long-standing stereotypes of AAs continue
to be perpetuated in US society.
Diversity and racial equity in corporations and institutions of higher
education have grown in importance during recent years, especially as
contemporary research has been conducted on the experiences of AA fac-
ulty members (Davis & Huang, 2013; Gee, Peck, & Wong, 2015).
However, the higher education research has excluded AAs, with little
complex analysis on AAs’ experiences as student or faculty (Museus,
2009). Most news regarding higher education and AAs usually is relegated
to AAs as high achieving students and/or the debate on affirmative action
in college admissions.
The purpose of this book is to share an interview-based qualitative
study that gives a voice to AA faculty members at Predominantly White
Institutions (PWIs). I utilized a basic interpretive design to examine indi-
vidual experiences that shaped the perceptions of AA faculty members at
their respective institutions. Utilizing the theoretical frameworks of the
Model Minority Myth and Perpetual Foreigner Stereotype and the con-
struct of microaggressions, nine AA faculty members participated in inter-
views in which they described their career experiences at PWIs. AA faculty
members stated that they were able to individually transcend microaggres-
sions by drawing from life experiences, taking strategic action, and
vii
viii PREFACE
experiencing the gradual increase of AA faculty members and their aca-
demic program representation at PWIs.
The basic interpretive design methodology that I utilized resulted in
findings that connected and strengthened the theoretical frameworks of
the Model Minority Myth and Perpetual Foreigner Stereotype as men-
tioned, with the affects of microaggressions on AA faculty members for
this study. The data collected on AA faculty members’ experiences at
their institutions reveal the affects of the Model Minority Myth, per-
petuating the narrative of monolithic AA success in academia and careers,
yet not in the mold of leadership qualities (Yamagata-Noji & Gee, 2012).
Also the perpetual Foreigner Stereotype, as the xenophobic racism that
minority groups in the United States are considered non or less American
(Armenta et al., 2013). And finally, microaggressions are subtle discrimi-
nation against minorities (Sue, 2010) that affect AAs’ career experiences.
Implications for future research will help higher education administrative
leadership and stakeholders better support career experiences and oppor-
tunities for AA faculty members.
AAs have recently come under attacks, both verbal and physical, stem-
ming from anti-Asian racism and microaggressions from the COVID-19
pandemic. The tragic legacy of anti-Asian racist historical blemishes and
injustice such as the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and the internment of
Americans of Japanese ancestry resurface in modern form, from the physi-
cal assaults of AAs in cities across the country to verbal assaults from the
president of the United States.
I hope that the testimonies, research, and analysis in this book can help
shed light on the racial microaggression and discrimination faced by AA
faculty and help institutional decision makers, administrators, and faculty
better understand the subtle and overt marginalization faced by AAs. And
with this better understanding, strategic planning and actions to mitigate
and ultimately eliminate structural and institutional racism. This is the
vision of this book and the hope for future AA generations.
a
cknowledgments
I would like to thank my faculty mentors, Dr. Susan Swayze, Dr. Rick
Jakeman, and Dr. David Surratt, for their wisdom, guidance, and scholar-
ship. To my professors throughout my undergraduate to graduate pro-
grams that introduced and instilled the salience of diversity, especially in
higher education, I gratefully acknowledge. There are many scholars that
have contributed vital and important work, authoring what is considered
the gold standard of racial microaggressions. Without their scholarship
this book could not have been possible. I can never recognize all by name,
and thus humbly acknowledge collectively. A special gratitude and
acknowledgement to Dr. Chester Pierce, the scholar who is the founda-
tion of scholarship on racial microaggressions.
I’d also like to recognize the AA individuals and organizations that
have stood up and fought AA hate and discrimination, challenged media
and society to recognize and bring equity to AA populations. I hope this
book will offer insight to the general public, students, and administrators
on how microaggressions have historically impacted AAs and the specifi-
cally impacted AA faculty in higher education institutions.
Finally, I would like to thank the AA faculty who spoke up and partici-
pated in this study, it has been an honor to listen to their career stories and
to experience their bravery in sharing their workplace discrimination and
microaggressions. Without their testimony this book would not have been
possible. Their contributions on facing racial injustices at the workplace
ix
x ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
were not without personal and professional risk. Not only did they share
with transparency on their own journeys, but also encourage me to con-
tinue to go strong in the field of AA rights as a doctoral student and as a
graduate. I am eternally grateful and inspired for their support and encour-
agement, one of the driving reasons to do this work and continue to con-
tribute to the field.
c
ontents
1 China Virus: Asian Americans in the Crosshairs 1
2 Microaggressions: American Snakemen 27
3 Perpetual Foreigner Stereotype: Third Class Americans 41
4 Model Minority Myth: Voice of Asian American Academics 61
5 Motivation: More than Just Work(ers) 89
6 Conclusion: The Emergence of New Tokenism 111
Appendix 135
Index 137
xi
