>> Our project has shown that there is an overarching emphasis on comparing the Asian American experience with the white, Eurocentric experience that is considered the norm.
>> The invisible norm of whiteness creates an oppositional binary between whites and Asian Americans. This binary creates strong social pressures for Asian Americans to assimilate into mainstream white culture.
>> In response to a supposed Scripps College “white student scholarship award” exclusive only to students with white skin, Kristina W. ’06 said,
“There is an unfortunate tendency in this country to treat “white” as the unmarked, expected norm, which actually furthers the idea that “white” is not ethnicity or culture at all, but the lack of it.”
>> The segmented assimilation theory offers a framework for understanding the process by which Asian Americans are incorporated into society and also examines the different outcomes of this process. It argues that rather than following a uniform path toward assimilation into American society, immigrants pursue diverse paths and become involved in society in different ways.
>> This can be used to describe the various processes students take in adapting to college life. Segmented assimilation opposes the classical assimilation theory which proposes that people will inevitably desert their cultural and behavioral patterns in favor of mainstream values.
>> As a community, we must move away from looking to the supposed norm of whiteness as a way of validating historical events and not allow such “norms” to direct our actions. If we continue to accept whiteness’s place of utmost power and privilege, whiteness will continue to stay institutionalized and structurally propagated.
>> For example, at a structural level, the academic curriculum at the Claremont Colleges supports whiteness. There is a lack of Asian-Americans and other ethnic minorities in ‘history.’ This continues to further the feeling that Asian-Americans and other ethnic minorities do not belong in certain stratas of American society. This does not serve the needs of Asian-American students and is instead primarily a hegemonic, oppressive scheme of “white supremacy” which does not take into account minority issues.
>> In addition, the structures working within the Asian American community, which are shaped by the prevailing norm of whiteness, are also undeniably connected to communities of other oppressed populations, such as Latinos, Blacks, Native Americans, queers, women, the disabled, the working class, and immigrants, are all closely related. Because white privilege exists on the oppression of groups of people of color, it is essential to recognize that current social conditions are rooted in the norm of whiteness which allows white privilege to be institutionally and structurally reinforced.
>>By studying the segmented assimilation theory, we can examine minority-minority positions and analyze the relationship between all oppressed communities. In our focus group interview, Dustin from Pitzer College voiced his feelings about building a wider community by saying,
“It’s much easier for me to talk to other minorities because we’re all minorities who are all oppressed.”
>> Working together in this way, we will be able to effectively create change and make improvements in societal structures. As a coalition of communities, we must challenge and interrogate whiteness as a unified “norm” and examine the positions between all minority and oppressed groups.