Author: Helen Mun

For APAHM, Remember Our Stake in Immigration Justice

Helen Mun

May is an important month for Asian America: the Asian Pacific American Heritage Month is a time when our voices and narratives are centered and celebrated on social media, in museums, in schools. May is also an important month for Asian American history: in 1843, the first Japanese immigrant arrived in the United States. In 1869, Chinese immigrants completed the first Transcontinental Railroad. That is why George W. H. Bush signed APAHM into existence. And while the important contributions of Asians and Asian Americans to the fabric of the United…

The Prenatal Nondiscrimination Act Discriminates Against Women of Color

Helen Mun

Criminalizing Women’s Choice Does Not Combat Problems in Our Society On April 14, 2016, the Prenatal Nondiscrimination Act of 2016 was introduced by the House of Representatives, and then referred to the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee. This panel, made up entirely of men, discussed the merits of criminalizing abortions that are based on the sex and race of the fetus. To be clear, such legislature, if passed, would have the greatest impact on women of color and immigrant women, leaving Asian-American women especially vulnerable to scrutiny for sex-selective abortion.…

Overview of Masculinity Curriculum

Helen Mun

This set of lesson plans centers around Asian American masculinity and identity formation. Objectives include seeking answers to the following questions: What role do laws and policies (immigration, labor market, anti-miscegenation) play in the historical construction of Asian American masculinity? What role do discourses, such as the trope of yellow peril, play in the construction of Asian American masculinity? How do Asian American men today engage in various practices in order to construct their own sense of identity and masculinity? What is the relationship between Asian American masculinity and the…

Masculinity Session 1: Discourse in Media

Helen Mun

Introduction through new media and pop culture   Answer the bulleted questions in discussion among peers or in writing independently. What stereotypes comes to mind when you think about Asian American men and masculinity? Spend about five minutes brainstorming and free-writing about whatever comes to mind. Think about how stereotypes might be beneficial or harmful. How does the media perpetuate such stereotypes about Asian American masculinity? What impact does new media, such as YouTube, have on perceptions of Asian American masculinity?   Select two YouTube clips that are created by…

Masculinity Session 2: Historical Context and Origins

Helen Mun

The role of immigration policies and practices in the construction of Asian American masculinity   Read before class: Shek, Y. S. (2006). Asian American masculinity: A review of the literature. Journal of Men’s Studies, 14(3), 379-391.   Asian masculinity has not always been stereotyped as passive and lacking. Consider the below depictions of Asian immigrants as “yellow peril” from the 1800s. Source: Sharp, G. (2014, June 20). Old “yellow peril” anti-Chinese propaganda. The Society Pages. Retrieved from https://thesocietypages.org/socimages     How do these images portray Asian (specifically, Chinese) men and…

Masculinity Session 3: Constructing and Reclaiming Masculinity

Helen Mun

Read before class: Thangaraj, S. I. (2015). Desi hoop dreams: Pickup basketball and the making of Asian American masculinity. New York, NY: New York University Press.   Discuss each of the themes and ideas from Desi Hoop Dreams listed above. Using a graphic organizer such as the one below, develop each idea and draw connections between them. Be sure to discuss concrete practices that the South Asian American basketball players used to construct their masculine identity. Stages of identity formation (ex. Basketball court as a stage, strip club as a…

Download and Watch Movie Split (2017)

Helen Mun

Split (2017) HD Director : M. Night Shyamalan. Writer : M. Night Shyamalan. Producer : Mark Bienstock, Jason Blum, M. Night Shyamalan. Release : January 19, 2017 Country : United States of America. Production Company : Universal Pictures, Blumhouse Productions, Blinding Edge Pictures. Language : English. Runtime : 117 min. Genre : Horror, Thriller. Movie ‘Split’ was released in January 19, 2017 in genre Horror. M. Night Shyamalan was directed this movie and starring by James McAvoy. This movie tell story about Though Kevin has evidenced 23 personalities to his…

4 Fire Songs by Asian Artists You’ve Probably Never Heard Before

Helen Mun

If you’re like me, music has been with you during some of the most difficult times of your life. Listening to music isn’t just about aesthetics, but a personal connection. Growing up with a hyphenated identity is unique, and consists of a variety of experiences and perspectives. But growing up, the only representation of my identity that I found in music was in k-pop, the occasional Asian-American musician who played a supporting role in a band, and, as I grew older and gained more access to the Internet, YouTube artists. Asian-Americans…

The Myth that Killed Akai Gurley

Helen Mun

A conversation between myself, Evan Yi, and our guest Jaela McDonald. Jaela McDonald is a Sociology major at Davidson College who also serves as a Student Health Advisor and Secretary of the Textures Healthy Hair Club. We discuss the recent conviction of Chinese-American police officer Peter Liang, who killed African-American Akai Gurley in a housing project in Brooklyn, and the problematic protests that reveal the rampancy of the model minority myth and anti-blackness in the Asian-American community. Read about Akai Gurley here. Length: 25 mins (worth every second though!)

Does Yellow Skin Burn?

Helen Mun

I realized I was Asian when my family moved from Los Angeles to Charlotte, North Carolina. I realized it in my third-grade classroom when my teacher conflated my culture and language with those of Kazuhide, a Japanese-American student and the only other Asian kid in the class besides for me. I’d wanted to be his friend, maybe if only for the fact that he looked like me, but after that interaction with our teacher I felt like I had to keep a distance, draw a line, remind everyone that Korean and…