The Model Minority Stereotype Reader

This collection focuses on Asian Americans as a frequently overlooked ethno-racial and ethno-cultural group, examining how stereotypes about Asian Americans are harmful both to students and their teachers. The material helps students gain a deeper understanding of the model-minority stereotype and its implications. The first three sections address academic achievement; myths surrounding Asian-American parenting; and sexualization, athleticism, and racialization. The fourth section, devoted to counter-narratives, discusses neocolonialist attitudes, unrealistic expectations, and the idea of the perpetual foreigner. Questions following each chapter can be tailored to undergraduate and graduate audiences for classroom discussion or as written assignments. With contributions from notable scholars who have researched and written extensively on the topic, The Model Minority Stereotype Reader provides the first comprehensive exploration of Asian American stereotypes and their impact on student populations. Nicholas Daniel Hartlep has a Ph.D. in Urban Education (Social Foundations) from the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee's Urban Education Doctoral Program. Dr. Hartlep is an assistant professor of educational foundations at Illinois State University. He is the author of Going Public: Critical Race Theory and Issues of Social Justice and The Model Minority Stereotype: Demystifying Asian American Success. He is co-editor of Unhooking from Whiteness: The Key to Dismantling Racism in the United States and co-editor of the forthcoming Killing the Model Minority Stereotype: Asian American Counter-Stories and Complicity. Professor Hartlep provides this timely collection of critiques of the model minority myth and how Asian Americans are often objectified in schools and society. This reader provides thought-provoking discussions on diverse issues that challenge stereotypes from Asians as math wizards to Tiger Moms. The esteemed authors remind us that we must challenge the invisibility and marginalization of Asian Americans so that our national values of democracy and equality become an undeniable reality. Valerie Ooka Pang, professor and research fellow, National Center for Urban School Transformation, San Diego State University