CALIFORNIA CULTURES: ASIAN AMERICANS

Name of Student

Subject Name Here

August 05, 2019

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CALIFORNIA CULTURES: ASIAN AMERICANS

Introduction

The exhibition ‘New Communities, 1960s-Present' within ‘California Cultures: Asian

Americans’ category reflects on the life of Asian Americans for and during the struggle of

Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965. The online exhibition is based on 37 photographs,

mostly black and white, spanning over the years 1953-2004. The exhibition has a strong feel and

urge to become the part of American culture and nationality. As soon as the President Johnson

dissolved the national origins formula, a new America emerged which was significantly different

from the previous one. As the title suggest, new communitive which ushered in the aftermath of

Immigration and Nationality Act (1965).1 The removal of de facto discrimination of Asian,

Northern Europe, Southern Europe, and non-Northwestern Europe from American immigration

policy was a key milestone which resulted in diaspora from various cultures of the world. The de

facto discrimination policy which was part of American immigration policy since 1920s provided

lot of difficulties for immigrants who were neither part of the non-American world nor allowed

citizenship in the United States.

Analysis

The exhibition on the life and struggle for ownership in the land where they came with a

hope for future. It is not strange as how many cultures from across the world became part of

American society and later became active members. Some of the images also suggest the political

struggle and achievement in American politics by the individuals from communities who were

previously not even allowed to vote. The law was not expected to provide any damage to the white

1
Bankston III, Carl L. "Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965." (2013).
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Americans and the homogeneity of American society, though it managed to alter the immigrant

mix and also reshape the American society into a multicultural world. The images are mostly of

immigrants from India, South East Asia, Latin America, and Mexico. The predominantly Canada

and European dominated immigration policy paved the way for new era where new nationalities

could take an active socioeconomic and political participation in American society. The images

also showed progress throughout time and the level of integration which occurred for the newly

citizenship holder from Asia and Latin America.

The images were a time travel of Asian and Latin Immigrants in American history before

the change in immigration policy to the world where Asian and Latin Immigrants will be integrated

into the US society in stratum. Many cities were increasingly become a specific culture and

nationality dominated. The perceived worldview of the White majority Americans was reshaped

where immigrants could dominate their respective regions and call themselves American with

equal rights. The 37 images exhibition also provides glimpses of the silent struggle which the

conducted peacefully. Most of the families from Asian, African, and Latin origin did a peaceful

struggle in socioeconomic and political terms to provide an opportunity for their next generation

in America. The communities that were settled in the post-1965 era faced many challenges which

the new generations can only present through artwork. The struggle can also be classified into

various categories because each community had their respective priorities and the amount of

sacrifice, coupled with ideological direction, resulted in shaping life of communities that will have

its norms and values.

Conclusion
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One of the themes within the images is ‘glocalization,’ which means that people from

different cultures brought their cultures with them. They provided American society with near

exposure to various beliefs, norms, values, languages, customs, and traditions. Despite brining

their own cultures, they also became part of the American culture which is often argued to be a

multicultural society with glocalization elements.2 Unlike their home countries, they host the

country provided liberty to the people who were previously facing religious, political or economic

discrimination. It means entirely different to be Asian American because they were unable to

integrate themselves the way other communities did. For example, Korean American are not

portrayed in the image and the communities presented from Asia are those who could not benefit

like other communities. The immigration in the aftermath of 1965 legislation paved way for

heavily Mexican, Latin American, and Asian immigrants whereas Asian immigrants constituting

more than one-third of the total immigrant's mix. The life of the people in this part of the world is

portrayed to be different form the world where they came, though keeping the basic elements of

their home cultures, like language, and belief system. Last, but not the least, the Asian American

participated in the American culture by wearing the same clothes and paving way for their next

generation to adapt themselves to new values which are significantly distinct from their parents'

culture, though a flavor remains.

2
Roudometof, Victor. "Nationalism, globalization and glocalization." Thesis Eleven 122, no. 1 (2014): 18-33.
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Bibliography

Bankston III, Carl L. "Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965." (2013).

Roudometof, Victor. "Nationalism, globalization and glocalization." Thesis Eleven 122, no. 1 (2014): 18-33.