Week3_Esther Lai_ASA114

Esther Lai

ASA 114

Week 3

            In Christopher Lee’s “Diaspora, Transnationalism, and Asian American Studies: Positions and Debates” article, Lee tackles the concept of transnationalism and how it is naturally embodied in Asian American studies to become what we now know as “diaspora.” With the roots of Asian American studies being increasingly studied, transnational aspects Asian migration out of Asia has become more interconnected with one another, leading to the need to understand the different transnational identities, politics, and socioeconomic situations that is left behind by the migration and spread of the Asian diaspora around the globe. Connections between migrants away from their homeland to their families and friends back in their homelands through the use of technology is a huge development due to globalization. This strong connection to homeland can heavily affect the migrant identity as someone who does not feel completely at home in a foreign land. This relates back to out discussion in class about how diasporas can still remain connected to their homeland through language, traditions, and history no matter how far they are, showing that the transnational connection between migrants and their home country do not have to be physically together to still be part of a diaspora. The current state of affairs for refugees and migrants all over the world are due to outside forces that they cannot control themselves, forcing them to become part of their nation’s transnational/diasporic community abroad. Diaspora and transnationalism are both necessary to help understand Asian American Studies as a whole in this age of globalization. I don’t know if it’s because I’ve become more aware of it happening but I see more Asian American clubs in schools, and integration of Asian influence in general, all over the country and an overall more prideful take on Asian American identities in general. The rise of boba and K-pop all seem to have attributed to this rise of young Asian Americans wanting to reconnect with their homelands.

Question: What happens when diasporic communities no longer want to be associated with their homeland (no longer find it beneficial/important to be tied to their homeland)? Do they become just the nationality they have adopted in their adopted country?

Photo: https://whatthekpop.com/2018/07/04/red-white-blue-17-korean-idols-who-were-born-in-the-usa/