Ching Chongs and Tiger Moms: The “Asian Invasion” in U.S. Higher Education

Poon explores how the success of Amy Chua's memoir The Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother can be explained by how the author positions herself as an informant on the "cultural tradition of her ancient ancestors." By doing so, Chua takes advantage of white anxieties over China's chal...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Amerasia journal 2011-01, Vol.37 (2), p.144-150
Main Author: Poon, OiYan A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Asian Americans
Autobiographical literature
Chua, Amy
Colleges & universities
Higher education
Writers
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Summary:Poon explores how the success of Amy Chua's memoir The Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother can be explained by how the author positions herself as an informant on the "cultural tradition of her ancient ancestors." By doing so, Chua takes advantage of white anxieties over China's challenges to American exceptionalism and white dominance in elite US colleges. Various media artifacts, including examples of conservative punditry, political ads, and most notably a YouTube rant by a former UCLA undergraduate, exemplify these fears. She concludes with a brief discussion about the role of research in advancing public discourse beyond master narratives of Asian Americans as hypercompetitive foreigners.
ISSN:0044-7471
DOI:10.17953/amer.37.2.m58rh1u4321310j4