Francisco Gomez Week 1

Sau-Ling C. Wong article, “Denationalization Reconsidered: Asian American Cultural Criticism at a Theoretical Crossroads”, discusses the term diaspora and what it means in relations to Asian Americans. The term diaspora is in relations of transmigration and the placement of Asians in relation to the homeland. I believe that the article targets some main points when discussing how the Asian diaspora establishes a difference between Asian American and “Asians”. There may be some differences in what each particular group experiences but the great thing that diaspora represents is looking into the similarities that connect both groups and not the differences. In the end all these communities as mentioned prior are connected by the “motherland”. Diaspora is seen in many communities like the African American community because they see it as an umbrella term, which connects all those who see Africa as motherland.

Question: In class we discussed the idea of second generations who are born in America and don’t have a direct connection to the “motherland”. Why do many people don’t automatically correlate diaspora with heritage even though to many they stand for similar things?

Wong, Sau-Ling C. "Denationalisation Reconsidered: Asian American Cultural Criticism at a Theoretical Crossroads." Amerasia Journal 21:1 & 2 (1995): 1-27.