Asian
From Open Encyclopedia
- See also Eurasian, Afrasian, Asian American and Australasian.
Geographically and technically, both Asian and Asiatic indicates a person, place, thing, or idea original to Asia. In common English parlance, however, the term Asian is often used to indicate people from, and places in, only one part of Asia -- typically East Asia (China, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Vietnam), Southeast Asia (Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines) or South Asia (Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, The Maldives).
Contents |
'Asian' in UK and Anglophone Africa
In the United Kingdom and Anglophone Africa, the term "Asian", though it can be used to refer to the continent of Asia as a whole, is more usually associated specifically with people and cultures whose origin lies in South Asia: that is, modern-day India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Those of East Asian origin such as the Chinese or Japanese are usually not included in the term. This is reflected in the "ethnic group" section of UK census forms and other government paperwork, which treat "Asian" and "Chinese" as separate (see British Asian). Some Britons carelessly use "India" to refer to the whole of South Asia, while others make a clear distinction between the various countries that form the region. The term Desi, which in the UK and Africa is synonymous with "Asian," is sometimes used to name a South Asian person in a manner that avoids any allusion to the specific state of origin. The British usage of Asian is now making headway into Canadian English.
Many Chinese South Africans dislike the label 'Asian', which they associate with being Indian or South Asian.
'Asian' in other English-speaking countries
In the United States and Canada, since approximately 1990, "Asian" in colloquial speech has been used to refer to people from China, Japan, Korea and other East Asian countries. "Asian" is often considered a more polite (or, some would say, more politically correct) alternative to "Oriental". This is partially due to the perception amongst some in academia that the term "Orientalism" reflects a long outdated Eurocentric world view, in which Europe is occidental (western), and Asia is oriental (eastern) - with West Asia being the "Near East" (or "Middle East") and East and South Asia being the "Far East," the concepts of "near" and "far" being measured from Europe.
To avoid the confusion that sometimes occurs, the term "East Asian" is used to distinguish people from Southeast Asia, China, Japan, and Korea and "South Asian" (Desi) for those from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. These relatively formal clarifications are used only when it is necessary to make a distinction between the groups. In recent years, South Asians, often erroneously labeled as all 'Indian', now more often see themselves as a distinct part of Asian America.
'Asian' in the U.S. Census
For purposes of the U.S. Census, the term Asian means people whose ancestors came from East Asia, Southeast Asia, or South Asia. However, respondents are allowed to indicate more precise racial groupings, such as; Asian Indian, Chinese, Filipino, Korean, Japanese, Vietnamese, Burmese, Pakistani, Laotian, Thai, Bhutanese, and so on, including "Other Asian."
The U.S. Census's definition of "Asian" is frequently criticised because it exploits a Sinocentric (China-centred) view of Asia by ignoring the peoples of West, Central, North Asia. There can be no doubt that Turkish, Semites (Arabs, Syrians, Bedouins, Israelis, etc.) Uzbekistanis, and the indigenous peoples of Siberia, and so on, are all "Asians," but they are not considered "Asian" for the purpose of the U.S. Census.
When is an Asian not an Asian?
Despite the fact that these people are technically 'Asians' by geographical location on the map, they have generally have not been labelled as such in Western society.
'West Asians'
The term "West Asian" is now sometimes used to refer to people from Middle Eastern nations. Note that while Middle Easterners rarely evoke the term "Asian" in most modern societies, the name Asia apparently derives from ancient Assyrian, and definitely originally meant the area now called "West Asia," from the Sinai Peninsula to Persia, and Asia Minor to Arabia.
The term "West Asia" is popular with some who argue the term Middle East is a Eurocentric moniker denoting the in-between regions of Europe and East Asia.
Russians
Most of Russia's huge territory is in Asia, though the majority of its population is in Europe and ethnically "East European". Depending on context, Russian people may be considered European, Asian, or mixed according to their individual ethnic nationality, ancestry, or appearance; or may be considered European or Asian based on their current or recent place of residence; or may be considered European or Asian just as citizens of a state extending into Europe or Asia. The word Eurasian is also often used to describe Russia's position in the world. See also Transcontinental nation.
When "Asian" is used as a shorthand for "East Asian" or "South Asian", Russians of course are usually not included.
Are Pacific Islanders Asian?
Sometimes, Pacific Islanders, such as Native Hawaiians or Samoans, who do not technically belong to the continent of Asia, may be classified or "clumped together" with the Asians as a group, often in censuses, surveys or studies. Thus, occasionally the term "Asians and Pacific Islanders" or "Asia/Pacific" may be used. However, in the 2000 US Census, many Pacific Islanders did not consider themselves the same race as Asians, and classified themselves separately.
Problems with the term
Assyrians, Arabs, Persians, Turks, Indians, Chinese, Japanese, Koreans, Vietnamese, and many other ethnic and cultural groups are often grouped together in the single category of 'Asian' and this can cause considerable confusion. The term is sometimes used to denote people from Asia in general and other times used to refer to only a specific group of them (eg. East Asians). People have different conceptions of who an Asian is and thus the term is not a very precise or accurate one. Because the Asian population is such a heterogenous one, some believe that the idea that "Asians" form a coherent cultural group is outmoded and therefore the term should be replaced by the use of separate terms for each Asian cultural or geographical group.
It is fairly argued the term "Asian" can only be used with any degree of accuracy to describe people, places and features of the whole of the Asian continent, plus people of Asian descent (such as Israelites, and Hungarians) who are mostly found outside of Asia
External links
- On Asian and Oriental, essay by Alan Hu on "Asian" vs. "Oriental"
- Asian-American Race Definitionde:Asiat
