Deconstructing Asian American narratives: a critical discourse analysis of race-conscious admission debates
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Abstract
Opponents of affirmative action have centered Asian Americans in the battle over race-conscious admission policies by presenting various framings of Asian Americans that forward their policy positions. This paper examines the framing of Asian Americans in race-conscious admission policy states on national, state, and local levels. To what extent do stakeholders and political actors invoke the Model Minority Myth and to what extent do they differentiate between Asian American subgroups in debates surrounding race-conscious admission policies? Through a discourse analysis of debates in Students for Fair Admissions v. President and Fellows of Harvard College (SFFA v Harvard), California ACA5/Proposition 209, and Lowell High School admissions, this paper analyzes the frequency in which stakeholders and political actors refer to Asian American as one monolithic group and differentiate between Asian American subgroups. The findings are used to consider Asian American shifts in racial positioning, pan-ethnic coalitions, and interracial political solidarity. This paper contributes to the literature on Asian American political activism and highlights the importance of recognizing the diversity and complexity of the Asian American community in policy debates.
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Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International