In my thesis, I intend to operate under a combination of two frameworks: Neoliberalism and Model Minority Myth (MMM). Using a list of articles and books my thesis supervisor, Professor Cathy Schlund-Vials, provided me, I will name and briefly summarize the contents of those pieces of literature. Afterward, I’ll connect the two further to cement the beginnings of the lens of analysis I’ll use when writing my thesis.
We can begin with Lisa Duggan’s “Neoliberalism.” Arising as an offshoot of the ideology of liberalism, it gained circulation around the 1990s, describing a structure that radicalized capitalist imperialism. It manifested itself in the United States and Western Europe from the works of well-known authors such as Milton Friedman and the Chicago school. They published reports defending classical liberalism while attacking centralized government regulations and social welfare. The overthrow of Salvador Allende in Chile marked the start of a new regime because it was among the first that was overthrown in an effort organized by the United States economy. The development of neoliberal reforms looked like the mass privatization of public enterprises, opening markets to foreign investments, cuts to social services, and suppression of dissenters.
Then in 1975, neoliberalism became integrated into US policy in the wake of a global surge of civil rights movements. As a strategy for maintaining the power of elites, legislation was passed to suppress or cut social services leading to widening inequalities. In terms of foreign policy, the usage of American soft power was prevalent, acting as a weapon to force emerging economies into programs in the name of “structural adjustment.” Examples of neoliberal structures include the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank, and the World Trade Organization (WTO).
Although the history of the Model Minority Myth can find roots in the 1800s, starting with the Chinese Exclusion Act, most work begins after World War 2. Ellen Wu’s The Color of Success introduces us to a study done in 1970 by an influential media source: The New York Times. It lauded Chinese and Japanese Americans as an example of success in America, citing interviews with Chinese and Japanese citizens in high-status positions. According to the Times, after years of hard work, those groups no longer faced discrimination, and some Chinese and Japanese American scholars even went on to achieve nationally distinguished careers. Additionally, after polling the average Chinese and Japanese citizen, results showed that they were respected and given attention in institutions such as schools and workplaces. This dramatically contrasts how these ethnic groups were treated only a few decades earlier.
Previously, stereotypes for Asian Americans were that they were perpetually foreign or unassimilable. However, a shift occurred after World War 2, as America strived to be more diverse and inclusive after seeing Hitler’s racist and xenophobic policies. Although posing a problem to America’s racial order, Asian Americans were transitioned into a new stereotype, deeming them as the model minority. Despite being distinct from White people, they were finally considered assimilated, upwardly mobile, politically nonthreatening, and non-Black. Using their story as a narrative, Asian Americans were then juxtaposed against other racial minorities within the United States, namely Black and Latino Americans.
Although not initially evident, there is undoubtedly a connection between neoliberalism and the MMM. Neoliberalism seems purely economic at a glance, but it also incorporates concepts of classical liberalism in it, such as humanism, freedom, and self-determination. This usage of social values allows neoliberalism to be a flexible, multicultural approach to public affairs. In the case of the MMM, neoliberalism adopts it as an expression of its principles. As a minority group that was able to achieve success through perseverance alone, Asian Americans become the perfect neoliberal subject – one that is self-sufficient, industrious, and unneeding of social services.
There is barely any intersection between the fields of Asian American studies and economics. I’m of the belief that the link between the MMM and neoliberalism is one of several aspects that can provide an economic explanation for a prevailing social issue. With the guidance of Professor Schlund-Vials, I hope to expand more in detail about both concepts independently and connect the pieces of the theories I’ve written.
Works Cited
Duggan, Lisa. “Neoliberalism.” American Cultural Studies, 2014, https://keywords.nyupress.org/american-cultural-studies/essay/neoliberalism/.
Wu, Ellen D. “The Color of Success: Asian Americans and the Origins of the Model Minority.” Princeton University, The Trustees of Princeton University, 29 Dec. 2015, https://press.princeton.edu/books/paperback/9780691168029/the-color-of-success.
