There is a fundamental duality in how Asian Americans are perceived in our country. They’ve at times been held up as the “model minority”, affirming this idea that the American Dream is alive and well if only immigrants could work harder.  At other times they’ve been regarded as threatening and perpetually foreign. A recent example of this is the dramatic rise in anti-Asian violence in the wake of the covid-19 pandemic.

On this episode of UnTextbooked, producer Victor Ye interviews Dr. Erika Lee, author of The Making of Asian America: A History. They discuss the history of Asians in America and why stereotypes from hundreds of years ago still persist today.

Book: The Making of Asian America: A History

Guest: Erika Lee, PhD, History Professor at the University of Minnesota

Producer: Victor Ye

Music: Silas Bohen and Coleman Hamilton

Editors: Bethany Denton and Jeff Emtman