Ethnic Stereotypes
(Asian)
Introduction:
Stereotypes of Asians
 First-generation immigrants
 Largely and collectively internalized
 Mainly negative repercussions
 Reinforce xenophobic sentiments
Asian Stereotype
Changing with Time
 Early roots (since early 1820)
Chinese immigrates are:
 “economic threat”
 “schemers against white society”
 “bloodthirsty killers with little regard for human life”
Asian Stereotype
Changing with Time
 Following Pearl Harbour, World War II
A shift from Chinese to Japanese:
 Japanese as “sadistic killers, schemers & world
conquerors”
 Chinese redefined as an ally to the Western fight
against Japanese Imperial aggression during WWII
 “The geographical application of the term is also
somewhat disordered: it was sometimes applied to
China alone, and at other times to Japan.”
A Famous example:
Yellow Peril
 Origin
 19th century
 Chinese immigration workers
 Lower wages than did the local white populations
A Famous example:
Yellow Peril
 Three dimensional fear
 Economic
 Demographic
 Political
A Famous example:
Yellow Peril
 Three dimensional fear: political dimension
Three stand-out events:
 Sino-Japanese war of 1894–1895
 the Boxer Rebellion
 Russo-Japanese war of 1904–1905
‘The Yellow Peril’, a 1895 drawing based on a sketch by Emperor Wilhelm II of Germany
aimed to encourage Europe to Unite and fight the approaching Eastern threat.
A Famous example:
Yellow Peril
Sexual fears
The Dragon Lady:
 A beautiful, charming woman who readily and
easily dominates men
 Seductiveness
 Spiritual threat
 Hidden danger
Conclusion
Stereotype of Asian evolves with the times.
Stereotype comes from incomplete knowledge and
misunderstanding.
Stereotype will never disppear and will keep changing.
Personal
Comprehension
The image of Asian in the eyes of westerners evolves
with time, just as an ordinary person’s knowledge of
what is once a strange thing. Stereotypes will always
be there and wilil never be fixed, since there’s no one
is completely rid of prejudice.
References
[1] Wikipedia contributors. (2022, February 27). Stereotypes of East Asians in the United
States. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 08:01, March 10,
2022,from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Stereotypes_of_East_Asians_in_the_
United_States&oldid=1074235493
[2] Wikipedia contributors. (2022, February 26). Yellow Peril. In Wikipedia, The Free
Encyclopedia. Retrieved 08:02, March 10,2022, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?
title=Yellow_Peril&oldid=1074053483
[3] Klein ‘The Yellow Peril; 4.
[4] Akira, “The Anglo-Japanese Alliance and the Question of Race,” 229.
[5] Michael Odijie (2017): The Fear of ‘Yellow Peril’ and the
Emergence of European Federalist Movement, The International History Review,
DOI:10.1080/07075332.2017.1329751
[6] Marchetti, Gina (1994). Romance and the "Yellow Peril": Race, Sex, and Discursive
Strategies in Hollywood Fiction. University of California Press. ISBN 9780520914629.
Questions