Asian American Sexual Politics: The Construction of Race, Gender, and Sexuality

by Rosalind S. Chou

Asian American Sexual Politics explores the topics of beauty, self-esteem, and sexual attraction among Asian Americans. The book draws on sixty in-depth interviews to show how constructions of Asian American gender and sexuality tend to reinforce the social and political dominance for whites, particularly white males, even in the supposed “post-racial” United States.

Drawing on established scholarship on the intersection of race, gender, and sexuality, Asian American Sexual Politics shows how power dynamics shape the lives of young Asian Americans today. Asian American women are often constructed as hyper-sexual docile bodies, while Asian American men are often racially “castrated.” The book’s interview excerpts show the range of frames through which Asian Americans approach the world, as well as the counter-frames they construct. In the final chapter, author Rosalind S. Chou offers strategies for countering racialized and sexualized oppression.

This provocative book shows how persistent racism affects Asian American body image, self-esteem, and intimate relationships.

Genres: Nonfiction, Sociology, Gender, Politics, Race, Ethnic Studies

214 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 2012

Reviews

[Amanda Chiu · Rating 4 out of 5]

So interesting and so valuable to the widely under-discussed topic of Asian American sexual and racial politics. I resonated with a lot in this book. Chou does a fantastic job at summarizing, explaining, and articulating the very complex identities and experiences of Asian Americans. Great academic read but also good for the soul.

[RYAN PHAM · Rating 5 out of 5]

Laminated hardcover

I loved the act of reading this book. As with any book, I Don’t think the author fully captures the Asian American experience since she and a lot of the information comes from the American South, where racist attitudes are more deeply entrenched. Especially in a time of colorblind overall progressive post-racial sentiment, discriminatory attacks are overlooked as an impossibility. Thể gendering and marginalization of Asian people is well documented in this book. Mỹ one dissatisfaction is the title, but other than that, thể book is one of the better ones out of the many that I have finished in this genre

[Robert Stutchbury · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's mostly in the title: this book is *Black Sexual Politics* for Asian Americans. In other words, a much-needed analysis of the personal experiences with and thoughts of Asian Americans concerning race, sex, money, and more. While it occasionally feels statistically non-rigorous, that is not the point, as the major focus is on the narratives that define people's lives. Good book.

[Ka Ming Wong · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fairly uneven, weak/baffling citations, and often repetitive. Nonetheless, the critical analysis of the personal narratives the author encountered in her fieldwork is much-needed though somewhat dated. I think that I would have been saved a lot of angst if somebody had laid out the meaning and implications of the hegemonic white racial frame like this for me when I was younger.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read!!