Charles Miin
ASA 114
November 22, 2015
Week 8 - Diasporas, Displacements, and
Construction of Transnationalism
Within
reading the first few lines of K. Scott Wong’s work about 20th Century
social critic Randolph S. Bourne, it is readily apparent that his views were
far different than what many of us would have expected. As a personal aside, I
even discussed this very issue the day prior to writing this post with an
individual who fervently believed the exact opposite of what Bourne suggests in
people adhering to personal identity. He believes that citizenship should not
be existing in the borders of a land but has to do more with the individual. In
a time where isolationism was the preferred method of engagement with the world
played a stark contrast to what Bourne was the only voice suggesting more
involvement in global affairs in regards to immigration and interaction overall
especially when concerning Europe. Asia’s interaction with the Americas however,
was a different story that began as early as the 16th century. Fast
forward to the end of the 19th century which saw the forced
annexation of both the Hawaiian Islands and the Philippines by U.S. Imperial
forces. This allowed for the establishment of trade dominance in the Pacific
and a strong exchange of Pacific Islanders with the Americas in the form of
laborers. Xenophobic perception towards East Asian migrants however stopped
their migration until it was fully relaxed in the mid-20th century. It’s
quite possible that we’re on the eve of a repeat of this social hysteria with
the current Syrian Refugee crisis which is seeing entire states in the U.S.
fall victim to the idea of all practitioners of the Islamic faith wishing ill
on the rest of the world. The vast majority of right-wing political governors
have pledged to close their borders to the refugees, essentially choosing to
leave them to a fate of death.
Is the foundation of transnational
migration and equality that the U.S. was built on strong enough to penetrate
through hysteria and help those that people wrongly consider to be enemies?
Anderson, Wanni W. and Robert G. Lee Eds. 2005. Displacements and Diasporas: Asians
in the
Americas . New Jersey: Rutgers University Press.
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