Mass culture versus class culture

Some reflections on The Asian American Achievement Paradox

Bibliographic Data

ID2148133
AuthorsModel (0000-0002-7876-521X, Center for Research on International Migration, University of California, Irvine, USA, corresponding author), Suzanne Model
Year2020
Volume43
Issue3
Pages501-507
Publication date2020-02-19
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueEthnic and Racial Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0141-9870 • E-ISSN: 1466-4356
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/01419870.2019.1640380
OpenAlexW2999657489
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited13

This comment argues that scholars have been too quick to dismiss Confucian culture as an explanation for the exceptional educational attainment of second generation Asian Americans. It shows that, for centuries, all classes in Confucian societies perceived education as the engine of upward mobility, not merely elites. For this reason, the children of working class Chinese and Japanese immigrants outperformed whites already before World War II. Furthermore, the educational outcomes of non-Confucian Asian Americans turn out to be unexceptional after their family backgrounds are taken into account. Thus, to the extent that Asian American schooling levels are unusual, it seems premature to attribute that achievement to class culture rather than mass culture

Asian americans · Asian culture · China · Chinese culture · Class (philosophy · Culture of the United States · Educational attainment · Epistemology · Ethnic group · Immigration · Political science · Social class · Sociology · World War II · Anthropology · Diaspora, migration, transnational identity · Gender Studies · Law · Migration and Labor Dynamics · Migration, Ethnicity, and Economy · Philosophy