Asian Americans and the Media

Kent A. Ono is a Professor of Communications and Asian American Studies at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Vincent N. Pham is a Doctoral Student at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

• 1. Introduction. Section 1: Historical and Mainstream Media Representations.2. The Persistence of Yellow Peril Discourse.3. Media Yellowface "Logics".4. Problematic Representations of Asian American Gender and Sexuality.5. Threatening Model Minorities: The Asian American Horatio Alger Story.Section 2: Striving for Media Independence.6. Asian American Public Criticisms and Community Protests.7. Asian American Media Independence.8. The Interface of Asian American Independent Media and the Mainstream.9. Asian American New Media Practices.10. Mobilizing Organizations.11. Conclusion: Many Languages, One Voice.Glossary.References

"Significant books reveal gaps in knowledge and compel readers to share an author's ideas. This excellent book succeeds on both counts."Journalism Studies "An excellent introduction to many critical issues in Asian American film and media studies. However, its ease of understanding is deceptive since the book is extensively researched and rigorously explores the topics it discusses ... [a] significant addition to the scholarship on Asian American media arts."Afterimage“In lively, engaging prose, Ono and Pham deftly survey scholarship on the mass media (film, television, radio, and the Internet) and outline the history of media stereotyping. Well-chosen examples illuminate the give and take between mainstream media, consumers, activists, and independent artists engaged in defining and redefining the popular image of Asian Americans. If you are interested in learning more about the ways we talk about race, start with this volume.”Peter X. Feng, University of Delaware“Ono and Pham present a fascinating read on the representational politics of Asian Americans. Using history as a guide to read these images, Ono and Pham underscore the necessity of understanding the cultural politics and social construction of the category ‘Asian American’ itself. By exploring contemporary images, they offer insightful readings and constructive directions for future work in media and communication studies. This is a very important work at the contemporary moment that does not ignore the past.”Thomas K. Nakayama, Northeastern University“Asian Americans and the Media offers us the much needed critical tools, terminology, and historical framework for reading, deconstructing, and intervening in the politics of ambivalent representation of Asian Americans across a wide range of old and new media, from silent films to YouTube.”Elena Tajima Creef, Wellesley College