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(noun) The authority, dominance, and influence of one group, nation, or society over another group, nation, or society; typically through cultural, economic, or political means.

Dominance of one social group over another, such that the ruling group or hegemon acquires some degree of consent from the subordinate, as opposed to dominance purely by force. (https://www.yourdictionary.com/hegemony)

Usage Notes

It is easy to associate hegemony synonymously with domination but it is more nuanced. Hegemonic power works by consent, not coercion caused by force or violence; thus it is not questioned. Hegemony supports the status quo and solidifies the idea that “how it is” represents “how it should be.” Therefore, hegemonic power becomes “common sense” and normalized within a society, facilitating compliance.

Examples of Hegemony

The cultural influence of the United States on the rest of the world spread through movies, music, and television.

The cultural and societal definitions of acceptable femininity and masculinity.

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Definition of Hegemony

( noun) The authority, dominance, and influence of one group, nation, or society over another group, nation, or society; typically through cultural, economic, or political means.

Examples of Hegemony

The cultural influence of the United States on the rest of the world spread through movies, music, and television.

The cultural and societal definitions of acceptable femininity and masculinity.

Hegemony Pronunciation
Pronunciation Usage Guide
Syllabification: he·gem·o·ny

Audio Pronunciation

Phonetic Spelling

American English - /hi-jEm-uh-nee/

British English - /hi-gE-muh-nee/

International Phonetic Alphabet

American English - /həˈdʒɛməni/

British English - /ˈhɛɡᵻməni/

Usage Notes

Plural: hegemonies

A dominate leader is referred to as a hegemon.

It is easy to associate hegemony synonymously with domination but it is more nuanced. Hegemonic power works by consent, not coercion caused by force or violence; thus it is not questioned. Hegemony supports the status quo and solidifies the idea that "how it is" represents "how it should be." Therefore, hegemonic power becomes "common sense" and normalized within a society, facilitating compliance.

The Marxist theory of cultural hegemony (also called ideological hegemony) developed by Antonio Gramsci (1891-1937) explains how the dominant class has the power to control not only a society's economic and political institutions, but also to influence the intellectual and moral basis of society whereby their own superior position is considered in the best interest of all. Cultural hegemony allows the dominant class to create and transfer beliefs, mores, and values to the subordinate class.

Hegemony is an example of soft power.

Sociologist study numerous forms of hegemony such as hegemonic masculinity and media hegemony.

A (noun) hegemonist exerts (adjective) hegemonic control to (adverb) hegemonistically create (noun) hegemonism.

Related Quotations

"[A]lthough true equality of opportunity is probably not possible, the myth of meritocracy in America is itself harmful because its legitimation of inequalities of power and privilege rests on claims that are demonstrably false" (McNamee and Miller 2013:19).

"The crisis creates situations which are dangerous in the short run, since the various strata of the population are not all capable of orienting themselves equally swiftly, or of reorganizing with the same rhythm. The traditional ruling class, which has numerous trained cadres, changes men and programmes and, with greater speed than is achieved by the subordinate classes, reabsorbs the control that was slipping from its grasp. Perhaps it may make sacrifices, and expose itself to an uncertain future by demagogic promises; but it retains power, reinforces it for the time being, and uses it to crush its adversary and disperse his leading cadres, who cannot be be very numerous or highly trained" (Gramsci 1971:304).

"Discourses of underdevelopment and development emerged in the 1940s and became institutionalized in the context of decolonization, the Cold War, and the United States' struggle for hegemony. A specific blueprint for planned social change (modernization overcoming traditionalism), shaped by Western notions of social evolution, was promoted by the North, adopted by elites in the South, and underpinned the newly established global institutions. These included the United Nations, the development institutions established by the Bretton Woods Agreement signed in July 1944, which became operational in 1946 (the World Bank, made up of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the International Development Association, and the International Monetary Fund [IMF]), and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). That blueprint was articulated around the notion that Third World countries would 'catch up' with the First World through economic growth, technological transfer, and Westernization" (Flora and Flora 2007:496).

"Many societies were founded on misogynist ideas that women were not full human beings. Because of their supposedly innate inferiority women were excluded from all the fun stuff-celebrations, rituals, sports, power, and glory-as well as a lot the hard stuff-paid work, military service-that was then glorified as exclusively masculine" (Kaufman and Kimmel 2011:102).

"The major impetus for the creation of national education systems lay in the need to provide the state with trained administrators, engineers and military personnel; to spread dominant national cultures and inculcate popular ideologies of nationhood; and so to forge the political and cultural unity of burgeoning nation states and cement the ideological hegemony of their dominant classes" (Green 1990:309).

"To enforce its power and sustain its privileges, the dominant ethnic group employs certain tools, which can be subsumed under the categories of prejudice and discrimination. Widely held beliefs and values regarding the character and capacities of particular groups are necessary to assure the long-range durability of ethnic inequality. These beliefs and values take the form of prejudices, that is, negative ideas expressing the superiority of the dominant groups" (Marger 1985:45).

Related Video

Additional Information

Related Terms

References

Flora, Cornelia Butler, and Jan L. Flora. 2007. "The Sociology of Development." Pp. 496 in 21st Century Sociology: A Reference Handbook, edited by C. D. Bryant and D. L. Peck. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.

Gramsci, Antonio. 1971. Selections from the Prison Notebooks of Antonio Gramsci, edited and translated by Q. Hoare and G. Nowell-Smith. New York: International.

Green, Andy. 1990. Education and State Formation: The Rise of Education Systems in England, France and the USA. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

Kaufman, Michael, and Michael S. Kimmel. 2011. The Guy's Guide to Feminism. Berkeley, CA: Seal Press.

Marger, Martin. 1985. Race and Ethnic Relations: American and Global Perspectives. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

McNamee, Stephen J., and Robert K. Miller, Jr. 2013. The Meritocracy Myth. 3rd ed. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.

Works Consulted

Bilton, Tony, Kevin Bonnett, Pip Jones, David Skinner, Michelle Stanworth, and Andrew Webster. 1996. Introductory Sociology 3rd ed. London: Macmillan.

Buchanan, Ian. 2010. A Dictionary of Critical Theory. New York: Oxford University Press.

Castree, Noel, Rob Kitchin, and Alisdair Rogers. 2013. A Dictionary of Human Geography. New York: Oxford University Press.

Chandler, Daniel, and Rod Munday. 2011. A Dictionary of Media and Communication. New York: Oxford University Press.

Chase-Dunn, Christopher, and Bruce Lerro. 2014. Social Change: Globalization from the Stone Age to the Present New York: Routledge.

Fowler, Henry Watson, and Robert Allen. 2008. Pocket Fowler's Modern English Usage. 2nd ed. New York: Oxford University Press.

Harcup, Tony. 2014. A Dictionary of Journalism. New York: Oxford University Press.

Honderich, Ted., ed. 2005. The Oxford Companion to Philosophy. 2nd ed. New York: Oxford University Press.

Krieger, Joel. 2001. The Oxford Companion to Politics of the World. 2 ed. New York: Oxford University Press.

McLean, Iain, and Alistair McMillan. 2009. The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Politics. 3rd ed. New York: Oxford University Press.

Nugent, David, and Joan Vincent, eds. 2007. A Companion to the Anthropology of Politics. Malden, MA: Blackwell.

Scott, John, and Gordon Marshall. 2005. A Dictionary of Sociology. New York: Oxford University Press.

Tomlinson, Alan. 2010. A Dictionary of Sports Studies. New York: Oxford University Press.

Wikipedia contributors. (N.d.) Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. ( https://en.wikipedia.org/).

Wikipedia contributors. (N.d.) Wiktionary, The Free Dictionary. Wikimedia Foundation. ( http://en.wiktionary.org).

Cite the Definition of Hegemony

ASA - American Sociological Association (5th edition)

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2015. "hegemony." In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved October 14, 2020 ( https://sociologydictionary.org/hegemony/).

APA - American Psychological Association (6th edition)

hegemony. (2015). In K. Bell (Ed.), Open education sociology dictionary. Retrieved from https://sociologydictionary.org/hegemony/

Chicago/Turabian: Author-Date - Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition)

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2015. "hegemony." In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed October 14, 2020. https://sociologydictionary.org/hegemony/.

MLA - Modern Language Association (7th edition)

"hegemony." Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2015. Web. 14 Oct. 2020. < https://sociologydictionary.org/hegemony/>.

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hegemony definition | Open Education Sociology Dictionary

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( noun) The authority, dominance, and influence of one group, nation, or society over another group, nation, or society; typically through cultural, economic, or political means. The cultural influence of the United States on the rest of the world spread through movies, music, and television. The cultural and societal definitions of acceptable femininity and masculinity.

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Slides 4 through 10 provide you with useful and interesting information that draws connections from the materials we have covered this week in class—with a focus on Jean Anyon and Stacey J. Lee’s work, those slides focus on the differing definition of  “work” based on social class, and more in depth about the Asian Americans being the silenced minorities. As you read over the Anyon slides in particular, think about which one of the four types of education you have received throughout your student life and how that has impacted your learning experience. Also think about this question: “Why is it better that you are working on padlets and commenting on texts rather than earning money now through wage labor?”

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If you are comfortable with sharing your own story, please describe some of the positive stereotypes that were set which served as oppressive or as stressors to you (ex. People saying Asians are great at mathematics when in fact you are terrible in the subject although you are an Asian). In your opinion, how would such expectations impact you in the long-term, whether positive or negative? How would you try to effectively address this prevalent issue?

If you are willing, please "tell" us the story-- audio or video. But writing is fine.

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If you are comfortable with sharing your own story, please describe one instance where you felt like you were treated as a model minority (or saw other people you know get treated as one). What were your initial reactions and feelings about the situation? If you addressed or resolved the situation, how did you do so?

If you are willing, please "tell" us the story-- audio or video. But writing is fine.

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A random person approaches you and says, “Asian Americans are too well-off to seek for help. I mean, what kind of help do they even need? There are so many Asian Americans in this nation already and their opinions are always heard - they should be labeled as the majority, not the minority.” Based on the knowledge and insights you have gained from the articles you read for this week, how would you respond to this person?

Feel free to respond in writing or orally.  Also, feel free to add images, articles, info about things you have read about in other classes or outside of classes.

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After reading the attached document, answer the following: Why are Asian American perspectives excluded? Draw the connection in a bigger picture - how can the model minority myth / stereotype serve as a hegemonic device in society and affect society’s hierarchical structure?

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“Asian Americans: The Absent Minority, the Silenced Minority, and the Model Minority” Short Summary

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Provide a brief summary of one reading of your choice (any one of the three required readings). Then, describe the model minority myth / stereotype in your own words, and explain how it can be a long-lasting problem that could negatively affect the generations to come.

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1) Please read through the "Additional Resources" section on the next column.

2) Please answer ONE question from Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4 & ONE question from Q5, Q6.

3) Please comment on ONE post conveying your thoughts and opinions in a respectful way.

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Model Minority is depicted as a "positive stereotype;" however, there are many people who still think this is not right. Please describe based on your personal knowledge using textual references from the reading that you chose, explain how Model Minority could be looked as a long-lasting problem and talk about the negative significance of the repercussions for many generations to come.

Feel free to respond in writing or orally. Also, feel free to add images, articles, info about things you have read about in other classes or outside of classes.

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In the Summer camp in an International Boarding school in Malaysia, I took a pre-calculus class. This class was divided into 3 classifieds like Calculus A, B, and C. And, I was in B class. During the lesson, I felt I was treated as a model minority because, in my class, I was the most active and voluntary student who engaged in class discussions with high test scores. Once, my classmates who are non-Asians asked me “Are all Asian students good at mathematics like you?, or “Are they all hard-working to be in an elite group?”. After I received the question, I hesitated to answer directly to them. Because I felt like lots of Asians have different academic abilities, and I don’t think generalization of Asians “elite group” and “good at mathematics” is fair to them.  So, I replied to them “It depends on people how they think about their education. Not all Asians are not like me or else, each of them has different perspectives in the learning.” Moreover, I resolved the situation by advising them not only Asians but also other ethnicities are not born superior to one another and becoming a superior group, individual needs to put their efforts to attain their goals. And, I emphasize that race(ex. Asian) is not a matter of succeeding if people their best in their fields.

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In 'Model Minority' Myth Again Used As A Racial Wedge Between Asians And Blacks, the author talked about how promoting Asian as an example and try to present them as the solution to racism is wrong and dangerous, as it is a wedge that trys to minimize the role that race plays in society. Model minority, in my point of view, is a convenient and irresponsible excuse for the lack of action against racism, claiming that minorities need to conform to the larger population and that if things are wrong it would be the fault of the minorities.

This has the potential to turn into a long-lasting problem in that it is very decieving and it does have "facts" to proove its correctness, albeit these "facts" may not stand the scrutiny if people decide to delve into the matter, but at first glance it seems convincing and logical.

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An interesting phenomenon I saw back in China is the International Math Olympics. Somehow there is a view that the Chinese team are expected to be in first place since they are "better at Math" than other teams, and when the US won IMO (congratulations!) there was a view circulating in China that one of the reasons is that they are all of Asian decent, and "good at Math" naturally.

Disclaimer: All participants in IMO are brilliant minds who are far superior than me in Maths since I only got past the first preliminaries. This answer focuses more on the general view of Asians being good in math naturally, nothing else. I have no intention in discrediting the IMO participants.

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This is a really interesting point because I never thought of one day Asian American would be regard as one of the majority groups. Asian American group hardly speaks up for protesting comparing to the frequency of some other races. Also, Asian Americans hardly get special cares, and I think I never heard of any school who would give Asian American's special cares like they did to some other races. As an Asian who used to live in a Asian American host family, I did see how strict the parents were towards their children's study, and how limited those kids's play time were. There seems to be a common thing that many people could recognize Asian American's academic achievement, but rarely would one dig into their society and see their hard work. At the same time, because as far as I know, Asian has the tradition not to express themselves, so this society supposed to be lack of voice. "Racism that Asian-Americans have experienced is not what black people have experienced," and I want to add to that, more importantly, large number of people notice racism towards black people but ignores racism towards Asian Americans. In this case, for me, I might not respond to this person since I think he/she/they already speaks sarcastically  against Asian American. In another word, this person is racist towards Asian American, so there's nothing I really want to say to him/her/them.

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I took AP Calculous before during high school. At first, when the teacher has wrong answers, I would speak up to correct him. However, start then, the class would ask me about the answer whenever the teacher was not sure about whether he did it correct or not. This turned out that everyone in the class could use the excuse of not knowing how to do their homework and then gave empty homework assignments while I had to do all of them. I didn't feel comfortable about this different treatment towards me and the rest of the students. So, I muted myself even though the teacher was wrong, and when the teacher pointed at me, I apologized to him and said as a student I was supposed to listen instead of correcting him. That went even worse, and there are all sorts of rumors about my pride behavior in AP Calculous class. I had a really bad experience. I think after that, I would always do what the teacher asked me to.When he asked me to correct him, I would; otherwise, I would leave it as it was. I didn't have a good attitude dealing with racism, and I still don't. Thankfully, those experiences only taught me to stay in big cities where Asians and Asian Americans populations are large, and I hardly had those embarrassing experiences anymore.

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I would say that this person does that understand that Asian-Americans are not a monolithic group, and that they are perpetuating stereotypes about Asians that are disruptive to individuals who do not conform to these stereotypes. There are vast disparities in income and education level among different Asian-American groups. For example, Bhutanese-Americans experience poverty at a higher rate than Japanese-Americans. By saying Asian-Americans are "too well off to seek help," it prevents the Asian-Americans who are undergoing hardship from receiving help. This paints a false image that Asians are "perfect" and never experience troubles or difficulties when in reality issues like mental health, yellow fever, racism (using words like "oriental" and "yellow peril", saying "chinese virus" during covid-19), and false stereotypes about how Asians have "poor interpersonal and communication skills" all affect Asians negatively. There are not that many Asians in the US because only about 5-6% of the population in the US is Asian. Furthermore, as mentioned in "'Model Minority' Myth Again Used As A Racial Wedge Between Asians And Blacks," even if there were more Asians in the US, it does not translate to being well off and not having struggles. For many non-white groups in the US, their ability to "find success" in their field is a matter of how well they are treated. For example, in the past, Asians were able to attain better jobs not because they were more hardworking or achieved immense educational success, but because they were not denied opportunities since other Americans treated them with more respect. I believe in college admissions, Asian-Americans are not treated as minorities because there are so many Asians applying. However, there are many fields where Asian-Americans are historically underrepresented: politics, CEO and executive positions, and entertainment. In other words, Asians are underrepresented in careers where decision-making is made. This is detrimental to Asians because for example, the lack of Asians in the government means less voices to advocate for the needs and struggles that the Asian-American community is undergoing, which means Asians opinions are not always being heard.

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As someone who is bad at math and was much more interested in english and history than math, the stereotype that "all Asians are good at math" always stressed me out whenever I was working with other people. Everyone else would assume that I could handle any part of the project related to calculations or mathematical computations because I was Asian, when in reality my strengths and passion lied in writing instead. Furthermore, since I attended a Bay Area high school, there was a huge pressure to pursue a STEM field, especially computer science, because of all the nearby tech influences (ex: Apple headquarters was a 7 minute drive from my house). Geographic factors tied in with stereotypes about how Asians had to be good at math caused me to feel like I had to pursue STEM to fit in with other people's expectations of me. Looking back, in the long-term, these expectations made me really unhappy because I was not being true to myself and allowing myself to pursue writing because I felt pressured to fit into this stereotype about what an Asian kid from the Bay Area should be doing (pursuing STEM, dream is to be a doctor or software engineer). To effectively address this issue, I would ask individuals to leave behind and forget both positive and negative stereotypes about different racial groups. Instead, when you meet someone for the first time, do not make automatic assumptions about what this person is like based on their race. Take the time to understand what this persons passions, goals, motivations, and strengths are through conversing with them instead of assuming what they are like based on their race.

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I would respond to this person by saying that they do have an interesting point, but I doubt that Asian Americans' opinions are heard all of the time. I think the Asian American community can be seen as closeted away or quiet about their problems. One such example is mental health. Asian Americans use mental health the least, but the "50 years of research" article that discusses the model minority myth provides evidence that mental health problems are rampant in the Asian American community. It may seem superficially that the Asian American community does not struggle, but in reality, their struggles are silent but present. Promoting the Model Minority Myth that Asian Americans do not struggle perpetuates the problem of Asian Americans concealing and trivializing their struggles.

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In my Senior year of high school, I was in a Multivariable Calculus class, which is the most advanced class offered at my high school. My teacher joked one day about the racial diversity in the class, as the class consisted of only Asians. I do not remember the joke exactly, but at the time, I remember laughing and the rest of the class laughing as well. The joke was not intended to offend and was delivered in a friendly manner. However, I did think about the Model Minority Myth and how it can make some people feel who are expected to be a certain way because of their race. Like any stereotype, it can harm those who don't traditionally fit that stereotypical description. It can also promote a lack of individuality because one's identity can become tied to the identity of their race. I would argue that is incumbent on individuals to find their own identity and choose to do the kinds of things that make them happy. But this level of maturity is not with everyone, especially younger people, and younger people can struggle with the restrictions stereotypes place on them.

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America by the Numbers: Pass or Fail in Cambodia Town

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America by the Numbers: Pass or Fail in Cambodia Town

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My father actually had the unique opportunity to spend several years working with Cambodian refugees in Boston when he was much younger. As such, it was very interesting for me to learn more about these people in the episode. One of the main takeaways is that the model minority myth is not valid because it does not apply to all asians. Yes, it is true that Chinese, Japanese, and Korean Americans do tend to do better in school than the American population as a whole. However, it is a grave mistake to lump all asians into one category and assume that all do better in school like the Chinese, Japanese, and Koreans. There are several other asian minorities such as Cambodians that do not follow this model minority myth and in general have a much worse chance of attending college and graduating from high school. The model minority myth could hav far reaching negative effects because it will cause us to ignore the struggles currently experienced by many asian minorities.

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Something actually happened to me less than a week ago that made me extremely uncomfortable and realize that it was due to the Model Minority Myth. When discussing classes with an advisor at Berkeley, he mentioned a few comments throughout the meeting including, "Wow you don't want to take this technical heavy class? But aren't Asians all suppose to be good at math? What happened to you?" In the moment I laughed because I was taken aback and brushed it off - deep down I felt uncomfortable and knew this was wrong but it didn't have ill intent behind it. As the conversation continued, there were more comments made along the line of how Asians went to Chinese schools on the weekend, so I must be studious and know another language. This is only one instances of many times - growing up in a predominantly Caucasian district, I learned that in order to fit in and not become laughed at, I had to laugh with them. I learned to crack the joke before others could and laugh at myself during math class when I consistently got the answers right and was made fun of it in a "friendly manner because it was a positive stereotype." I want to say I've gotten better at addressing it, but truth is, I don't know if I have or ever will. But one step I can take is to be more informed about it and next time be able to stand up for myself and speak up when something feels wrong, even if everyone around me is telling me there was "no harm meant or done".

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This is a very interesting topic because I've never actually really thought about it but now that I do think about it I think that it is not a necessarily a good stereotype to put onto somebody. I think that applying pressure in the way of performing well and work very hard in school to get good grades would be extremely difficult for somebody. it is interesting that it has come up in discussion though because being smart has nothing to do with genetics or race or anything, asian americans have purely brought this on theirselves and I think that it is something that they can be very proud of bringing on themselves, an assumption that you are a very hard working, smart human being is always a good thing, however it is not to be taken lightly. I cannot speak from experience but I could only assume that this pressure would be quite difficult to deal with, always being looked at as the smart person in a class room is never a good thing and I personally would not like to be in that scenario.

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I unfortunately do not have any experience with being the model minority, however I think that on the one hand it could be good, pressure is often good if dealt with well and pressure to perform can benefit people extremely well as it pushes them to try harder, study more and do better in the test, however I feel as though this would also be a very large burden to carry being a model minority, it puts unnecessary pressure on people and is not good for their mental health in the long run and I understand that alot of people may not deal well with it.

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As an Asian American myself, I have found myself coming across stereotypical comments that definitely served as a stressor to me. As stated in the example, I also have heard the common stereotype that Asians are always gonna be good at math, and I definitely was not. Especially when I was younger, I became intimidated and pressured to become better. Long term, I see this example, for me personally, as a positive stressor because it made me work harder and study more to meet this stereotypical expectation. An example that had a negative impact on me long-term is the positive stereotype that I have heard in my own experience, which is that “Asians are efficient and really good at following orders and getting things done” and furthermore, people have asked me “can you do my homework for me”. As an Asian, I have come across times like those mentioned, where I felt treated as a tool who is good at helping other people rather than an individual who has their own faults and problems as well. I could see this expectation having a negative long term impact because it can affect how an individual views their purpose just because of their race.

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Based on the knowledge and insights from the class readings, I would respond to this person by saying that it is completely unfair  to classify all Asian Americans under the stereotype that they are “too well-off” and don’t need any “help”. Within the large pan ethnic group of Asian Americans, there are major differences between diverse groups and cultures of Asian Americans along with large disparities with regards to these individuals’ socio-economic status. I would also say that the idea that Asian Americans are immune to challenges faced by other minority groups is outright insensitive to many Asians because that does not hold true as a lot of them, including my mother who immigrated from China to the US when she was 8 years old, have faced. I would also explain how my mother faced poverty, isolation, and extreme social and emotional pressure when she came to the US, similar to what is mentioned in the class reading article entitled "Asian American students push to reveal what the 'model minority' myth hides", and so saying that all Asian Americans don’t need help is just not true.

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If put in a situation similar to this, where I am confronted by someone who doesn't recognize the disparities within the Asian American communities & racism faced by the community, I would try to sit down and talk with them and discuss the reasons leading them to this conclusion and potentially how those reasons could be flawed. It would definitely depend on the person involved and the circumstance because a) not everyone wants to listen and b) it is also important to prioritize safety alongside education. However if the person is willing to listen, I would bring up how the Asian identity has been construed in such a way to give white people, particularly white men, power within the US system. Another facet I would address is the fact that this radicalized identity and stereotype assumes that all Asian immigrants are the same as well. Cambodian First generation Americans will have different circumstances than a Chinese international student-based really on the history and economic history of the country. I would go on to explain how it's really dangerous to make these assumptions and ignore all issues due to "The Model Minority" stereotype, because the stereotype is fake. For one asians come from all different backgrounds and economic levels. And two you cannot stereotype a race-a race is made up of individuals and to take away those individualistic differences is a) not valid in any sense but also b) detrimental to Asian Americans (especially Asian Americans who are really figuring out more about their identity). In addition, the label of minority is given to a group of people who are either marginalized or don't have the main role of power within the system. Asian Americans fit both descriptions. In addition, Asian Americans can be viewed as immigrants even through generation and generations of living in America, therefore seen as a minority group/ If Asian Americans were seen on the same amount of "American-ness" as a white person, then I would declare them a minority. However in many people's perspectives this isn't the case-therefore more work needs to be done, until people can truly appreciate diversity but not base personality characteristics off of that diversity.

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If a person approached me with these views I would have a lot to say to rebuttal them. I would say the voices and opinions of all individuals should be heard. Asian Americans are not the majority and they have faced a myriad of challenges throughout the history of our country. Disregarding the needs of a group due to your opinions about those people is racist and I would call this person out on their blatant racism. While stereotypes may portray Asian Americans as wealthy or well off, the reality is that a great number of them are struggling and face the challenges any minority faces in this country. Asian Americans opinions are in fact not heard as compared to white Americans. Asian Americans are vastly underrepresented in politics. Asian Americans face racism that many play off as a joke. This acts to devalue the opinions of Asian Americans in many cases which is a big problem, which this person is perpetuating.

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I have red hair, I am by no means a minority but I did face a considerable amount of teasing and ostricization by my peers when I was younger. I hated having red hair. I was constantly labelled a ginger by everyone and even was bullied. "kick a ginger day" is a made up "holiday" that led to me getting kicked and teased by my peers. I was hurt by all of this but I felt the only was to deal with it was by acting like it didn't bother me, when in reality, deep down I just wished I had "normal" hair like everyone else. I felt like a "model minority" because I put up with the teasing and didn't retaliate. Now I have overcome this and actually come to absolutely love my red hair and wouldn't want it any other way. I don't get teased anymore but if I did I wouldn't care anymore because Ive grown to learn to love who I am.

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The isolation and exclusion of the Asian American community through stereotypes and negative narratives enforce hegemonic ideologies and societal structure. In response to the influx of Asian immigrants into the U.S. and success stories of some, the habitus reframed and referred to all Asian Americans as a “model minority.” The seemingly positive notion of the “model minority” is harmful as it ignores the realities of those who do not fit the stereotype and overstates the achievements of Asian Americans, glossing over significant differences within the population. It categorizes an entire group of peoples into a single monolithic narrative despite the fact that Asian Americans are a very diverse community of numerous languages, countries of origin, cultures, and intersectional differences. This characterization deems Asian Americans as “model” and successful, and thus not in need of resources. Due to this assumption that Asians are the more privileged and advantageous group, ethnic minority groups are forgotten, shunned, and misunderstood because of a single incomplete narrative that the habitus propagated and normalized in order to protect its dominant position as a global hegemon. This ensures that the Asian American community cannot assimilate into hegemonic society and is an act of self-preservation of American white homogeneity.

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The “model minority myth” has certainly played a role in my educational journey as I have often been denied resources and help because I was “Asian” and would “be fine in the future”. Throughout high school despite my poor exams and grades that clearly indicated my need for extra help in math, my instructor did not genuinely help me learn concepts. Instead he often made remarks such as “you’re Asian” or “you know all of this already”. This created greater stress and pressure for me to do well and meet this pre-conceived standard that my instructor had of me because of this “model minority myth”.

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As argued from the Li reading, the two major dangers from "Model Minority" are: one, it excludes them from the political discourses targeted towards racial discrimination and minority as they are not considered to face racism and have no problems as the other minority groups do; second, it reinforces the “blaming the victims” approach to those who fail to make it in school or in the society.

Personally,  I feel that the first danger has long-term negative effects. As Asians have this "positive stereotype" of being over achievers, this puts a burden on those that do not fit this high standard mentally. It is also unfair as people would have a high first expectation from you; for example during college admissions, it is often the case that Asians are required a higher academic performance compared to other minority groups.

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Asian Americans are generally evaluated as 'quiet, very smart, and work hard', and they are called 'Model minority'. That person might think that “Asian Americans are too well-off to seek for help.”, if he or she thought that Asian Americans normally have gained wealth from their success in educational attainment. However, no one can generalize the characteristics of Asian Americans and other races. I would say that generalization will lead to prejudice and stereotypes and it will be a social problem.
In addition, I would say that the logic that the majority of Asian Americans are not a minority, and that their opinions are heard a lot, does not seem to be correct.

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My microphone is not working so hopefully typing this out will do. I come from an Iraqi/Arabic background so have definitely feel impacts based on my own race and ethnicity. However for the Model Minority stereotype specifically, I'l describe a really close friend of mine's experience in high school. My friend is Chinese American-first generation. She's incredibly funny, sassy, and passionate about language arts & English. While in high school, she was always kinda labeled as "cute" and "sweet" and "gentle". Truth is, she is incredibly cute, sweet, and gentle but she's also brilliant, strong, and determined. Honestly she is one of the most determined people I know. Recently I unfortunately had an incident where one of my friends told me  that they were surprised that she was going into language arts & English. They had just automatically assumed she was going the pre-med biology route. For one, English is the same level as biology just different types of thinking. And on another note, the model minority stereotype was assumed (lawyer/doctor). I told them that I think she in incredibly brilliant in English and had been since she was young. She truly loved books and that her passion was 110%. And that honestly just because she is Asian American does not mean she needs to have a tech or biology related job. I do understand this is a portion of the overall minority stereotype-the small portion being how, Asian Americans all go into technology &/or biology, however I do think it is a main characterization of the "Model Minority". So in short, my friend is working at a publishing company now & is proving to the world that a) English is her life's passion and b) that she is not only cute & sweet, but strong, independent, intelligent, and a proud Asian American(who really doesn't need any stereotype to tell her how to live her life :33)

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I think that even if the model minority is supposed to be construed as a positive stereotype, it creates long lasting effects on policy. For example, in the case of immigration there is the negative stereotype of Mexican Americans many of the negative stereotypes revolve around not paying taxes, “anchor babies,” violence , crime and many other abhorrent racist remarks. However, when we look at those who work hard, enter legally, I.e. those who fall under the “model minority” are still completely failed by the immigration system.

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A response I would most likely conjure up is a question, along the lines of what are the opinions that they "constantly divulge"? As typically in my experience I don't really ever hear their opinions heard to much so far in life, it's typically the majority opinion that I hear (White). One of the points I would give mostly likely is how at political rallies no matter  the candidate, the crowds that always attend such events are majority White,  and that the majority of votes in the U.S come from White people. Meaning that their interest are often not heard on a nation scale/state. In addition to this,  I would say that on a national scale Asians still are considered to be a minority and that should be common sense/ a given fact. Moreover,  I would say that generalization of the Asian race in America shouldn't be regarded as a fact, as every person no matter a stereotype in their own unique situation. No matter how well a race is off as a whole, there are still those of  that need help despite the generalities.

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In high school, I attended a summer program that had students from multiple high schools in the Bay Area. The main focus of this program was to support students with math. One summer, the program was offering a math class that would count for college credit. Only rising seniors were taking the class but the program director made one exception. The program director entered my math class and asked to speak with the Asian American student in my class. The next day, that student did not return to my class and I instead saw them in the math class that would count for college credit. I didn’t think anything of it at the time because I remember thinking that maybe that student’s high school was more ahead at math compared to my high school. However, I later realized that wasn’t the case; we both had taken the same math class the previous year. From then on, I remember my class always assumed this student knew the answer to every math question. That experience definitely made me think of the model minority and how that student must have felt when he got offered to take a class that was only meant for rising seniors being only a sophomore.

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Impacts of misrepresenting "Model Minorty"

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Impacts of misrepresenting "Model Minorty"

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Even if Model Minority is explained by a “positive stereotype”, there are some issues with generalizing model minority as a positive category to them. Even if they are regarded as well-educated and successful in their life, not all of them applied to this myth. In the video “ American BY THE NUMBERS: Pass or Fail in Cambodia Town”, it indicates that some of the model minority, which is usually Asian Americans, receive a lack of institutional support and have higher percentages of no high school diploma compared with other American ethnicities. A lot of Southeast Asian refugees in Long Beach, California struggled with their education due to their lower socioeconomic status with higher poverty rates, which resulted in bringing educational challenges to them. Even some of them degenerate into gangs and hoods and their parents can’t speak English fluently, which makes them engaging in education by themselves and creates a language barrier to communicate with their parents. Due to the myth of Model minority, people who are categorized as Asian Americans are considered as a superior group and this indeed is not true for all of them as we saw in the video. Stereotypes make them receive unequal opportunities in education and other criteria. The myth is handed down from one generation to a descendent generation and this hinders and gives pressure on posterity. Thus, I think the model minority is a long-lasting problem, which enhances social reproduction to the first generation to coming generations.

Reading: Chow, AMERICA BY THE NUMBERS: Pass or Fail in Cambodia Town

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Reading: The Model Minority Myth: What 50 years of Research Does and Does Not Tell Us.

This reading discusses some of the implications behind the model minority and how damaging it can be to Asian American students. The author begins by explaining that the idea of the model minority was strategic and intentional in order for the U.S. government to shift away the focus from themselves. The model minority stereotype creates incredibly high expectations that can lead to mental health problems. I think that this is extremely damaging because like the article writes “it also effectively silences them and conceals racism against them”. By painting this picture that they’re all successful, it seems like an attempt to hide the way the U.S. government treated Asian Americans in the past and in the present day.  It can be incredibly damaging to create these unrealistic expectations that not everyone will be able to achieve.

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I will never be able to experience the effects of being a “model minority.”  However, the only way I am able to sympathize is the fact that I am a woman. In such that I have been praised for performing domestic activities, not drinking, smoking, having a low body count, nor being too loud, etc. In no way shape or form can I empathize with the effects that race.  Therefore, it is a completely different experience, in terms of privilege and the way that interacts with social policy.

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Model Minority could be looked as a long-lasting problem because it deprives Asian Americans many rights that they should have as American citizens and privileges minority groups have. According to The 'Model Minority' Myth in 2020: Jennifer Ho and Frank H. Wu, Asian Americans are expected to do well on study. If they do not do well, people will say that it is because they themselves did not work hard enough. If they do well on study, it is because American is a land of opportunities. Therefore, whites and other minority groups tend to receive more help in school than Asian Americans. Although many Asian Americans, such as American Born Chinese or American Born Japanese, have high academic performance due to cultural reasons, there are still a large number of Asian Americans who do not have a tradition or culture of pursuing good scores or economic capacity to attend good schools, such as Vietnamese and Cambodians. This is also mentioned in AMERICA BY THE NUMBERS: Pass or Fail in Cambodia Town (Episode 6) where Shameka Min’s college counselor do not know in advance that American Born Cambodians have a big high school dropout rate. Therefore, we know that she probably does not receive enough help with her study because her teacher still has the stereotype of Asian Americans as Model Minority. Asian Americans, as a minority group, are also deprived of the help of Affirmative actions in college admissions.

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Stereotypes about Asian Americans can have a positive effect on the odds of success for Asian American students.
Teachers, admission officers, and peers often think that Asian students are smart, self-controlled, and highly accomplished.  Therefore, Asian students are more often assigned to high-ranking classes, and they are often recommended to apply to prestigious universities when applying for college.  It is said that many Asian American students, who are subject to high expectations, usually achieve academic achievements by trying to meet those expectations.  When I studied in Korea too, the interests and expectations around me were the same for everyone because my friends were all Asian.  But in the United States, I spent more time studying to prove that I was a “smart Asian student”.  American teachers' stereotypes about Asian culture influence how they perceive Asian students, and Asian students internalize this perception.  However, this stereotype can be a “double-edged sword”.  Asian American students who fail to meet the high expectations feel that they are “not Asian” and this may lead to mental health problems such as anxiety and depression.  In addition, positive stereotypes about Asian Americans can be helpful when they are students, but can be harmful at work.  The stereotype that Asian Americans are diligent and thoughtful rather than bold and creative makes it harder for them to become leaders at work.

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I think such expectations will impact me positively in the long-term because it inspires me to work hard so that I can improve myself over time and meet the expectations. I like pressure and high expectations, so I think I am fine with it.

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Personal Experience - Encountering higher expectations due to racial factors

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Personal Experience - Encountering higher expectations due to racial factors

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I work at a diverse elementary school with sixth graders, and I often see students treat other Asian students as the model minority. I’ve heard comments such as “you’re Asian, you’re suppose to be good at math” and “she get’s it because she is Asian.” Some  students expect their Asian peers to have the higher test scores and win the spelling bee competition. Nonetheless, the Asian students tend to perform better, so I’m not sure whether the other students expect their Asian peers to do well because they’re Asian or because they know they are smart.

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The " The Model Minority Myth: What 50 Years of Research Does and Does Not Tell Us" article mainly talks about how research tells us that Asian Americans were intentionally selected to be model minorities and how the model minority stereotype isn't as flattering as it may appear to be. The research highlights how higher education should reconsider the model minority myth and find ways to let go of the stereotypes. The model minority myth may seem to be a positive stereotype, but the reality is that there is no such thing as a "positive stereotype". As mentioned in the article, "By portraying Asians as successful, it also effectively silences them
and conceals racism against them".  From my own viewpoint, the model minority myth can have many negative associations, from holding an unrealistic standard to a group of people who are made up of unique individuals, to having micro-aggressions in the workplace because of it. In our history, there have been many instances of xenophobia even stereotypes meant to be positive can also go wrong. The supposedly "good" stereotype of the Model Minority contributes to the "Bamboo Ceiling" - this is an example of a barrier that prevents Asian Americans from climbing up a certain point in the corporate ladder because they are perceived as quiet and diligent heads-down workers.

Erika --
great line to quote: "By portraying Asians as successful, it also effectively silences them
and conceals racism against them"" -Margi

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I thought this line was particularly interesting:
"Model minority, in my point of view, is a convenient and irresponsible excuse for the lack of action against racism, claiming that minorities need to conform to the larger population and that if things are wrong it would be the fault of the minorities".

I think that it does lead to longer-lasting issues, as you note.  It continues to give power to those in power by pushing assimilation.

See question 4 that Daniel posted.

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Stereotypes are both positive and negative

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Stereotypes are both positive and negative

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I think every stereotype comes with both positive and negative side effects. There is no purely "positive stereotype." Stereotypes that praise a behavior could also cause harm. It could cause stressful expectations of someone who is not capable of fulfilling the stereotype. Every individual has their own life story and stereotypes do not always fit every person in a group. It is not a good feeling to be associated with something that you are not.

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If someone came up to me and say this, I will be very sad for them as they clearly do not have any basic understanding of American history and the modern society structure. Speaking by population, Asian Americans in no ways should be classified as the majority as they are only 5.6% of the entire US population. On top of that, they did not receive any governmental or institutional benefits from the society because they were never considered a "minority group". Many would say that most Asian Americans did not receive any persecution and they are mostly middle class. Well, first of all, since the first wave of Asian Americans migration, they were being shipped to the US as cheap labors to build railroads. Followed by that, they were being sent to literally concentration camps during WWII when anti-Japs sentiments were high in the US. Lastly, there were so many racist languages and things going around the society even today when fashion brand D&G make fun of Chinese people using chopsticks in their 2019 commercials and when the US and the president calling the pandemics the "Chinese Virus". So to answer your question, I will say this person is ignorant.

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I do not like the so-called "positive stereotype". Saying that Asians are suppose to be good at math or international students or international students don't study because they have rich parents is just like saying Kobe Bryant is good at basketball because he is black or a hispanic student got into Harvard is because he's Latino. Languages like these really diminish one's efforts and hard work and also create a lot of pressure to people who are not good in certain field but is talented in other fields.

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In Harlep's exploration of the model minority myth, he first explains what the myth is: Asian Americans are high achieving and do not have mental health issues as often as other minorities. He explains that there are a few reasons for Asian Americans being the model minority. The most pertinent of these reasons it that in American politics, it is needed for a minority to have the facade of being successful, and making America seem like the "land of opportunities" as it is widely known. However, this myth carries a multitude of negative effects on the Asian American community. Some of these negative effects include a lost of personal achievement, as success for an Asian American person may only seem like they are being a "good Asian". At the same time, it diminishes and ridicules Asian Americans for having mental health issues. In my own words, the model minority myth is a propaganda that has been created by politicians to prove to the rest of the world of America's tolerance of different ethnic groups and it has many adverse effects for Asian Americans.

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I believe having the model minority myth truly sets high expectations for Asian Americans. I know that when people jokingly say "Hey! You're Asian, shouldn't you be good at math?" with no bad intentions. However, statements like they create higher and higher bars of expectations for Asian Americans. A personal story that I had when I was in high school is surrounding my experience in participating in the national science bowl. Many of the participants are of Asian American descent, and I too am of Asian American descent. When I was competing on the big stage, I did not perform as well as I could've. And after suffering a loss, I was ridiculed by comments like "why can't you be a good Asian and know physics better". I think under normal circumstances the comment will only me resentful. But since I recently suffered a loss, the comment was much more impactful and made me question the poorly concealed racial negativity in the comment.

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Problems with the Model Minority Concept

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Problems with the Model Minority Concept

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I think that the biggest issue with the "model minority" myth is that it encourages conformity. I think it would be fair to say that we live in a white christian society. The demographics might be changing, but for the purposes of this question, I think it is important to establish that is the case. So then, what does model minority even mean? Well, it means that the minority is acting in accordance with the expectations of a white christian society. There is no such thing as a "model minority" in our world. There is such a thing as a model minority within our system. By making the "model minority" a fixture within our culture, we are encouraging conformity.

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Well, I'm Jewish. I suppose there are some positive stereotypes about Jewish people. They're not that dissimilar from Asian stereotypes: generally, that Jews are bound to be successful, good with numbers, and good lawyers. I'm not going to act as thought this has played a role in my life though. At least on a conscious level, it has not. I've never felt oppressed by the stereotype, but I suppose it does put some jewish people in a box. IT might create a clear definition of success that isn't super inclusive.

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Significance of the Model Minority Myth: The Second Generation

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Significance of the Model Minority Myth: The Second Generation

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This is something that is not talked about very often and one that is very miss understood. Stereotypes are very dangerous through their false and misleading information that they always bring forward. This person clearly thinks by these stereotypes and does not have the basic knowledge and therefore the right to be saying such remarks. The fact that they believe they are the majority is by no means correct and I would make it apparent of how such small percentages there really are. These low numbers lead to a poor understanding what this group of people require and therefore in no way do they deserve to get any less help than anyone else.

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Growing up on a farm in the country and then moving to boarding school in the city, I was exposed to a lot of new things in school. I remember in a lot of my first classes I was automatically put into the lower groups for everything as there was an assumption that because I was from the country I was not as smart as everyone else. This meant that it took longer to be able to challenge myself even though I had the knowledge of a lot of the subjects we were doing. Just because the format was new to me they seemed to think that I would not have the same ability.

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I would start of by saying that the person has made an interesting point, but that they are generalizing all of the asians into one big group. It is super interesting that this person not only refers to all asians as one group, but also refers them as the "majority who doesn't need to talk about their problems since they are overrepresented in the population". I would go on to kindly educate this person about the model minority myth, and give examples of how a large proportion of asians struggle with mental health, along with other issues like gang activities. I would also go on to give possible struggles Asian people face (like the genocide aftermath, and gang activity,  for some the South East Asians as mentioned in the video)

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Freshman year I met this one girl in my dorm, and as we were talking, I asked her what was she majoring in. Her response shocked me as she just said "disappointment. " I was super confused and I asked her why, and she told me that when she was applying for college, her parents wanted her to study engineering, business or pre-med, but she decided to follow her heart and go with forestry. She told me that because of her that decision, she will always be a disappointment for her parents. I was super shocked to hear that and didn't really know what to say. I told her that her parents would be proud of her no matter what, and that it is good that she is studying what makes her happy.