What’s the Difference? Asian v. Asian-American

View the video on Asian v. Asian-American, the International Student POV using Powerpoint.

What’s the Difference? Asian v. Asian-American

Being Asian, for countless other Asian-interest bloggers, is an umbrella term used to describe natives of countries located on the continent of Asia. Asian-Americans can be defined as immigrants originating from an Asian country, gaining citizenship in the United States or residing here for an extended period of time. To be quite cliché, yet covering an official definition, Merriam-Webster defines Asian as “relating to the continent of Asia or its people,” and Asian-American as an American of Asian descent.

For international students I spoke with this week, however, the question’s quite simple.

Zheng is originally from Malaysia and says the difference has to do with one’s understanding of American culture. Simply, Asians typically don’t know about the little luxuries of American life, like 24 hour Wal-Mart. Accents are a big tip-off for Zheng as well, because as a self-identified Asian, her pronunciation of English words are vastly different than most Asian-Americans who are “immersed in the culture.”

Shou makes it even simpler and reflects Merriam-Webster’s definition, too. He says you are Asian if you are from Asia. You should be from an Asian country to be Asian, he said, and if you are from the U.S., but your ancestors are from Asia, that makes you Asian-American. Simple geography for this guy.

It seems that clear definitions of the two terms are quite subjective. Sources create their ideas of being Asian versus Asian-American, drawing conclusions from personal experiences, cultural upbringing and exposure to each ethnic identification.

These are just a few outlooks in developing a full picture. Many more interviews should be done to better analyze how international students at MU view the differences in the two groups – but then again, would the individuality of each respondent be lost when generalizing their statements? Maybe it’s best to figure it out for yourself. Step out of your comfort zone and get to know Asians and Asian-Americans. Befriend them. Get to know what makes them unique and paint your own picture of what qualities and characteristics set them apart. Overall, recognizing that there is a difference is enough to create curiosity to learn more.

Who is Considered Asian?

Defining who is considered “Asian” may be a bit more complicated than one might think. The identity of the modern Asian is complex and commonly misunderstood, yet is increasingly vital in an individual’s conception of the world. The world is a melting pot of cultures, ethnicities and races and as the global population increases each second, individuals must educate themselves to grasp the values that make each person unique. Being Asian may boil down to multiple variables, including a person’s place of birth and ancestry. The most common definition of Asian is attributed to pure geography.

Geography

Dictionary.com defines “Asian” as ”a native of Asia.” So generally, one may assume an Asian to be an individual from the continent of Asia. This is a very broad definition as the world’s largest continent encapsulates 49 countries of varying cultures and religions.

“Asia is the world’s largest and most populous continent with a population of 4.3 billion people. Located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres, Asia covers 8.7% of the Earth’s total surface area and comprises 30% of its land area. With approximately 4.3 billion people, it makes up 60% of the world’s current human population.” (World Population Statistics)

The continent is split up into six regions:

  1. North Asia – Russia
  2. East Asia – Japan, PR China, North Korea, South Korea, Mongolia
  3. South Asia – India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, bhutan, Maldives
  4. Southeast Asia – Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Brunei, Timor-Leste, Burma, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam
  5. West Asia (Middle East) – Saudi Arabia, Oman, Jordan, Qatar, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Yemen, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Israel, Lebanon, Palestine, Turkey, Cyprus, Syria
  6. Central Asia – Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan

Though individuals may originate from the continent of Asia, “Asian” may not be the most appropriate association. A Palestinian may not consider herself Asian, although Palestine is one of the continental Asian countries, but rather Middle Eastern. Each country must be considered for its unique characteristics and social sensitivities.

Place of Birth

In a world of first generation Asians across the world, the personal identification of an individual holds more weight. A woman born in the United States may have parents and ancestry from China, however she may better identify herself as an Asian-American, Chinese-American or American rather than Chinese.

Being Asian generalizes the cultures of 49 Asian countries, as well as the personal identification of those who identify with the Asian race. It is important to make this definition blatant because today’s society tends to ignorantly overlook the differentiation. To many, this may not be pertinent to understand, but in a society with so many merging cultures, generalization leads to ignorance, misunderstanding and ultimately to prejudice and racism.