Term of Award

Fall 2021

Degree Name

Doctor of Education in Curriculum Studies (Ed.D.)

Document Type and Release Option

Dissertation (restricted to Georgia Southern)

Copyright Statement / License for Reuse

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Department

College of Education

Committee Chair

John Weaver

Committee Member 1

Ming Fang He

Committee Member 2

Daniel Chapman

Non-Voting Committee Member

Dinny Aletheiani

Abstract

Popular media including film and television are powerful sources of mass communication with implications that significantly impact cultural and social perceptions through indirect socialization (Ewen & Ewen, 1992; Fiske, 1993; Kellner, 1995; Hall, 2003; McLuhan, 2011). With regards to representation of Asian Americans, media contributes to limiting parameters of Asian American imagery and portrayals historically influenced by colonial relations, which have resulted in misrepresentations of Asian Americans through yellow peril discourse (Marchetti, 1993; Tchen, & Yeats, 2014), model minority stereotype (Lee, 1996, Hartlep & Scott, 2016; Chou, 2015; Chou & Feagin, 2015), yellowface practice (Ono & Pham, 2009), and problematic biases in representing Asian American gender and sexuality (Hune, 2000; Shimizu, 2007). Although the visibility of Asian Americans in popular media is improving, racialized images are more subtle, with intersecting messages about Asian American race, sexuality, and gender that can still be identified and evaluated. However, racism and acts of discrimination for Asian Americans still occur in a multiracial democratic society, particularly with increased acts of violence and hate against Asian Americans in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. The most prevalent representation of Asian Americans is the model minority image (Lee, 1996; Lee, 2005; Hartlep & Scott, 2016; Hartlep & Porfilio, 2015; Chou & Feagin, 2015). My research using multiperspectival cultural studies (Kellner, 1995) has sought to illuminate perpetuating forms of discrimination towards Asian Americans. The purpose of this inquiry is to investigate historical conditions of the Asian American experience that affects the notion of identity formation for Asian Americans and how they are perceived by others that are commonly and persistently framed in media. The goal for this study is to deconstruct hegemonic stereotypes and encourage participatory collective efforts in resolving current and future practices of discrimination and exclusion. My voice, efforts, and experiences as an Asian American studying misrepresentation help me to use and articulate my voice while deepening my subjectivity and understanding of what it means to be Asian American.

OCLC Number

1287884207

Research Data and Supplementary Material

No

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