Class of 1948 Herman B Wells Professor of Sociology and CRRES Director Dr. Dina G. Okamoto was interviewed in a recent segment of IU Research podcast, on Asian American experiences with racialized violence. Although incidents of harassment, verbal and physical attacks, and hate were widely publicized since the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, Dr. Okamoto explained that Asian Americans are no strangers to such experiences. Anti-Asian sentiment and violence have long existed in the backdrop of stereotypes that casted Asian Americans as perpetual foreigners, unfair economic competitors, carriers of disease, sexualized objects, and disposable labor since the mid-1800s. Further, Dr. Okamoto describes the term "Asian-American" as a socially constructed idea that racially categorizes groups that actually have no natural or biological affinity; the label comes from political movement based on the shared experiences and struggles of Asian ethnic groups in the U.S.—this identity continues to be used today by Asian Americans seeking change and building political power. Dr. Okamoto offers thoughtful analysis on the origins of the Asian American label in her book Redefining Race: Asian American Panethnicity and Shifting Ethnic Boundaries.
For more information, listen to the podcast here and read the full transcript here.
