Anna Bamford
In "Fight the Tower," Valverde repeatedly describes herself as a "Vietnamese American, mixed race woman," especially in contrast to the other members of her department. In class, we discussed how Asian ethnicities are perceived in a hierarchy, in which East Asian Americans (Chinese, Japanese, Korean) are placed above Southeast Asian Americans (in this case, Vietnamese). Valverde also
explores this concept in her article, exploring its ties to classism and how her perceived inferiority in an East Asian American-dominated department impacted her position and the behavior that was expected from her. However, I didn't see any further discussion of the "mixed race" component of Valverde's self-identifying statement. I am curious about how she believes her mixed race background impacted her experience through her tenure battle, and how it compares to the influence of her Vietnamese background. Was this part of Valverde's identity a significant determining factor in how she was perceived and treated by her colleagues, or was it preceded by her ethnicity and gender? If it was a factor, what was the impact?
Ali Wong, who used the terms "Fancy Asian" and "Jungle Asian" in her stand-up special "Ali Wong: Baby Cobra" (2016) to describe the idea of hierarchy among Asians and Asian Americans.
IMDb. (2016, May 05). Ali Wong: Baby Cobra. Retrieved from https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5066574/?ref_=ttmi_tt
Valverde, K. C. 2013. Fight the Tower: A Call to Action for Women of Color in Academia. Seattle Journal for Social Justice, Volume 12, p.367-419.
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