Reimagining Model Minority: An Inquiry into the Post-1965 Chinese Immigration in the United States

Abstract

This purpose of this thesis is to investigate the most significant issues and concerns confronting the Chinese immigrant community in the U.S. through a quantitative analysis of the current states of Chinese America and a qualitative inquiry with Chinese immigrants themselves. Data for this thesis were mainly collected from U.S. Census Bureau and the Immigration Naturalization Services, which served as part of a broad overview of the current states of Chinese society in the U.S. To answer questions that the data alone cannot elaborate on, I inquired into the everyday experience and struggles of immigrant Chinese by conducting oral history interviews.Based on a careful examination of government records and oral histories, this thesis has recognized that Chinese immigrants’ affluence, high education and cultural identity have positioned Chinese as a “model minority.” However complimentary that term may sound, it represents a stereotype that homogenizes the Chinese community as a successful community and further obscure issues facing the community such as glass ceiling and assimilation. This thesis further examines the complex relationship between Chinese immigrant perceptions regarding model minority as a myth and their expectation to live up to it in the next generation.