Paige Wallace
Myth and Melancholia: Examining Asian American Identities Throughout History
Mentor: Dr. Curtis Wasson
| How does narrative shape identity? Our understanding of who we are is deeply influenced by the stories we tell about ourselves and others. For Asian American communities, identity is forged through historical narratives of exclusion and inclusion. While the model minority myth portrays Asian Americans as successful and assimilated, the processes of immigration, assimilation, and racialization can be fraught with loss, uncertainty, and depression. In this presentation, I explore the dominant narratives that constitute Asian American identities and argue that stories can be a site of reimagining collective identities as well as one of healing from racial melancholia. |
