Talking back to the Asian model minority discourse: Korean‐origin youth experiences in high school

Abstract

This paper examines the educational and social experiences of Korean‐origin, working‐class youth in New York City public high schools. By elucidating how Asian‐origin youth understand, negotiate and resist the Asian model minority discourse, the participants (1) disrupt popular characterisations of the Asian‐origin community, (2) critique dominant ideologies such as meritocracy and (3) share stories that Asian‐origin youth can utilise to ‘strengthen traditions of social, political, and cultural survival and resistance’ (D.G. Solorzano & T.J. Yosso (2002) Critical race methodology: counter‐storytelling as an analytical framework for education research, Qualitative Inquiry , 8(1), pp. 23–44). In addition to contributing important narratives to the discourse on school improvement, multiculturalism and urban education, these youth challenge educators to rethink problematic notions of identity and culture that perpetuate the marginalisation of Asian‐origin people. I am not the model minority. Before I can talk about Asian American experiences at all, I have to kill off the model minority myth because the stereotype obscures many realities. I am an Asian American, but I am not good with computers. I cannot balance my checkbook much less perform calculus in my head. I would like to fail in school for no reason other than to cast off my freakish alter ego of geek and nerd. (Wu, 2002, p. 39)