Week 10 - Alice Kuang (A01)

Alice Kuang
Section A01
Week 10

      This week's reading, "'The Time to Fight is Now': When Asian American Women in Academia Go Rogue" written by Associate Professors Kieu-Linh Valverde and Wei Ming Dariotis concludes the course by taking us back to the first week's theme of "Fight the Tower." Over the course, we've dissected the various truths and injustices within higher education and the academy, and now, we're concluding the readings with combining the Asian American race lens with institutionalized oppression, and using the specific positionality of Asian American women to act as the trailblazers---to become the forefront of fighting these injustices within the institution.
       As an Asian American woman myself, I definitely resonate with the sentiments and experiences of the writers and those featured in the antology. Throughout my time in the educational system, I have been undermined for my efforts and merits by teachers, administrators, etc. Although these individuals may have done it subconsciously or unintentionally, these actions represent the reflections of the established systems of racism and sexism that exist within these institutions. I had internalized these experiences as well, as I had always sought to prove my worth through merit and hard work. Despite success, my abilities were always compared to those of my brother's and other men, and regarded as less than. These constant belittlement taught me that the concept of meritocracy equating to recognition and success was a false narrative.
          The complexity with this experience as a woman in academia is my identity as an Asian American, and the outward perception/definition of this identity. As an East Asian particularly, I am regarded as the model minority, idealized worker, and success story. Yet, experiences and narratives show otherwise. These experiences show the institutionalized oppressive systems within the academy, and show a power structure that is able to simultaneously define, confine, and undermine. Like the writers in the readings explain, the specific experiences and positionality of Asian American women show the brute of this system, and how it wants to shape compliance.
        Subsequently, Asian American women like myself who are expected to remain complacent in the institutionalized system, have the power to do the "unexpected", and subvert the very system that defines us and holds us down. In that way, the "Fight the Tower" movement is powerful, as is the continuously consciousness raising and mobilizing of Asian American women.

Question: As the actual processes of institutionalized undermining of meritocracy for Asian American women are so painful, what are some concrete resources to support these women in academia? How can we organize?

References:

Valverde, C., & Dariotis, W. (2017). "The Time to Fight is Now": When Asian American Women in Academia Go Rogue. Retrieved June 4, 2017.