"The stories of Asian Americans in the Midwest remain poorly recognized and understood – until now. <i>Fighting Invisibility </i>frames these Asian Americans' experiences within the context of U.S. racial history and culture, revealing the power of geography in the process. The result is a thought-provoking, highly readable book that should be read from coast to coast."— Pawan Dhingra, author of Hyper Education: Why Good Schools, Good Grades, and Good Behavior Are Not Enough<br /> "In this remarkably perceptive book, Trieu's multilayered narratives of racialization in the Midwest brilliantly contextualize how belonging, representation, and resistance are negotiated."— Linda Trinh Vo, author of Mobilizing an Asian American Community<br />
Drawing from in-depth interviews, census data, and cultural productions from Asian Americans in Ohio, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Minnesota, Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, and Michigan, this interdisciplinary research examines how post-1950s Midwest Asian Americans navigate identity and belonging, racism, educational settings, resources within co-ethnic communities, and pan-ethnic cultural community. Their experiences and life narratives are heavily framed by three pervasive themes of spatially defined isolation, invisibility, and racialized visibility.
Fighting Invisibility makes an important contribution to racialization literature, while also highlighting the necessity to further expand the scope of Asian American history-telling and knowledge production.
Introduction: Asian America in America's Heartland
Who Is Midwestern Asian America? A Demographic Overview and Personal Histories of Post-1950s Midwestern Asian Americans
"I Only Knew It in Relation to Its Absence": Isolated and Everyday Ethnics on Spatial Contexts, Community, and Identity
"Why Couldn't I Be White?": On the Legacy of Colonialism, Racism, and Internalized Racism in the Midwest
Crafting "Sharp Weapons" in the Heartland: The Making of Cultural Productions as Racialized Subjects
Conclusion
Epilogue: A Final Note on Moving Forward for Asian America
Appendix: Selected Characteristics of Study Participants
Acknowledgments
Notes
Bibliography
Index