Asian people represent the most rapidly increasing ethnic group in North America (Statistics Canada, 2017; Kim-Bossard, 2022). In Vancouver, Canada, my current place, Asian people comprise 46.3% of the city population (Statistics Canada, 2017). However, their perspectives are rarely reflected in Canadian school music (Tuinstra, 2019). Although cultural diversity has been recently discussed within music education, Asians are often excluded from social justice discourse in our field. Research studies on Asian students are rarely found. Little is known about Asian perspectives. Asian critical scholars have found that Asian students are oppressed by varying forms of Asian racism (Museus, 2014; Sue et al., 2009). To better serve Asian music students in school, music educators may wish to first develop their critical awareness of Asian racism and racialization.
Yellow Perils
Asian people are oppressed by three ubiquitous stereotypes. The first one is “Yellow Perils” (Wu, 2003). Asian people have resided in Canada since 1788, 79 years before Canada became independent from Britain in 1867 (Government of Canada, 2022). Although Asian immigrants have significantly contributed to nation-building, cultural diversity, and economic growth in Canada over the past centuries, they have been perceived as dangerous people harming Canadian society (Lai, 2003). Canadian lawmakers enacted the Chinese Immigration Act in 1885 and the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1923, forbidding people of Chinese descent from entering Canada (Lai, 2003). During the Second World War in the 1940s, Canadian officials viewed Japanese people as the nation’s enemies, threatening national security. The officials forcefully separated male Japanese Canadians from their families and located them in internment camps across Canada (Government of Canada, 2022). More recently, in 2010, McClean’s, the most-read Canadian magazine, published an article titled “Too Asian?” covering a story about Asian
students dominating Canadian colleges and taking learning opportunities away from White students. Asian communities across North America became furious about the article and asked the publisher to apologize. Yet, the editors denied giving an apology (Museus, 2014).
Model Minorities
Asian students are also found oppressed by the model minority myth that all Asians are intelligent and excelling in school. This stereotype may indeed appear to be well-intended on the surface. Yet, it may negatively imply that Asians are nerd and socially inept (Houshmand et al., 2014). The myth may further contribute to the misconceptions that Asian students experience no learning challenge and racial discrimination in school, thereby requiring no learning support (Museus, 2014). However, the average school achievement of Asian students is not different from that of other racial and ethnic groups of students (Wong & Halgin, 2006). Due to the myth, some Asian students are found to experience severe mental health issues and feel ashamed when unsuccessful in school subjects (Law et al., 2019).
Perpetual Foreigners
The third widespread Asian stereotype is the perpetual foreigner myth. Asian students are often portrayed as social outsiders and singled out in school; furthermore, some Asian immigrant students are racially bullied and poorly treated by their white peers and teachers due to their accented English (Houshmand et al., 2014; Lee, 2023). In addition, although some Asian students were born and grew up in North America, they are regularly asked such questions as “Where are you from?” and “You speak English with no accent. Where did you learn your English?” (Houshmand et al., 2014; Sue et al., 2009). These questions might have been asked with no intention to hurt Asian people; however, Asian students find these questions unpleasant because the questions connotate that true Canadians or Americans are Whites speaking the standard English with no foreign accent (Sue et al., 2009).
Conclusions
Canadian lawmakers enacted multiculturalism as the nation’s official policy in 1971 (Citizenship and Immigrant Canada, 2012). Due to the official embracement of cultural diversity for the past half century, Canadians tend to believe that racism no longer exists in their country (Hess, 2015; Houshmand et al., 2014). However, researchers have argued that racism silently occurs in Canada (Houshmand et al., 2014). Asian students are often characterized as yellow perils, model minorities, and perpetual foreigners, experiencing racial discrimination daily. Since Covid-19, Asian racism has become more overt and explicit. Moreover, due to the recent political tension between China and the US/Canada, Asian students and their family members may be more concerned about Asian racism. I suggest school music teachers be more attentive to Asian students’ learning challenges and seek potential ways to support Asian students in school. In addition, social justice cannot be achieved by music teachers alone but through collaboration with diverse school community members (Dekaney & Robinson, 2014). I further recommend school administrators provide systematic training sessions for all school personnel to prevent Asian racism and empower Asian students who have been disempowered by the stereotypes.
References
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