Asians in the Ivory Tower: Dilemmas of Racial Inequality in American Higher Education

Abstract

Highly respected scholar Robert Teranishi draws on his vast research to present this timely and compelling examination of the experience of Asian Americans in higher education. Asians in the Ivory Tower explores why and how Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) are important to our nation's higher education priorities and places the study of AAPI college participation within a broad set of conditions through which all students must navigate as they pursue higher education. Teranishi captures the intersections of individual agency, social conditions, and organizational structures as synergetic forces that result in a range of postsecondary outcomes for subpopulations within the larger body of AAPIs. Transcending narrow generalizations about this understudied population, this seminal book debunks false stereotypes about AAPI students and their educational trajectories; offers a unique empirical perspective on racial stratification in higher education through case studies that mix quantitative data with narratives of lived stories; examines the educational experiences and routes to college for AAPIs, and examines broader issues around racial inequality and debates about affirmative action; captures the nuances and complexity of race, offering theoretical perspectives that can be applied to other populations.