Reviewing Asian America: Locating Diversity (Association for Asian American Studies Series)

In April 1992, the acquittal of police officers in the beating of Rodney King sparked the largest civil uprising and unrest since the 1965 Watts Riots and drew national attention to the volatile nature of race relations in the United States. During the civil disturbance, the media focused on violence perpetrated upon African Americans, Latinos, and Anglos; however, Asian Americans, primarily Korean American shopkeepers, were also caught in the sweeping unrest. Many of them, even a number of first-generation immigrants, lost their lives.
This is not the first incident in this century or in Asian American history which resulted in loss, tragedy, and sadness. Events such as these call for a closer look at inter- and intra-racial relations and an examination of Asian America in the 1990s.
This volume is based upon selected papers of the 1992 Association for Asian American Studies national meeting held in San Jose, California. The essays in ReViewing Asian America explore views of Asian American diversity and race relations, and address issues of representation. They contribute an interdisciplinary approach and study of Asian America from the perspectives of academics, writers and poets, and activists. The anthology as a whole examines the collective issues of Asian America; it challenges dominant institutions, expands the view of Asian American Studies, and invites hope for the future and aspirations of the discipline.