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Unassimilable: An Asian Diasporic Manifesto for the Twenty-First Century – A Hard-Hitting Scholar-Activist Memoir on Revolutionary Politics
A scholar and activist’s brilliant socio-political examination of Asians Americans who refuse to assimilate and instead build their own belonging on their own terms outside of mainstream American institutions, transforming the ways we understand race, class, and citizenship in America.
In this hard-hitting and deeply personal book, a combination of manifesto and memoir, scholar, sociologist, and activist Bianca Mabute-Louie examines and transforms the ways we understand race, class, American respectability, and the concept of assimilation and its impact on Asian American communities from the nineteenth century to present day.
Divided into four parts, Unassimilable opens with a focus on the San Gabriel Valley (SGV), the first Asian ethnoburb in Los Angeles County and in the nation, where she grew up. A suburban residential and commercial area with a conspicuous cluster of Asian immigrants, SGV thrives not because of its assimilation into Whiteness, but because of its unapologetic catering to its immigrant community.
In part two, Mabute-Louie examines “Predominantly White Institutions With A lot of Asians” and how these institutions shape the contentious racial politics of Asian Americans and Asian internationals, including the fight against affirmative action and the fight for ethnic studies. She moves on to interrogate the role of the immigrant church and religion in part three, showing how, for many immigrants, the church is a sanctuary even as it is an extension of Whiteness, colonialism, and the American Empire. In part four, Bianca looks to the future, boldly proposing a reconsideration of the term Asian American for a new label that better clarifies who Asians in America are today.
Unassimilable offers a radical vision of Asian American political identity informed by a refusal of Whiteness and collective care for each other. It is a forthright and accessible declaration against assimilation and in service of cross-racial, anti-imperialist solidarity and revolutionary politics. Scholarly yet accessible, informative and informed, this important book is a major addition to Ethnic Studies and American Studies.
In this hard-hitting and deeply personal book, a combination of manifesto and memoir, scholar, sociologist, and activist Bianca Mabute-Louie examines and transforms the ways we understand race, class, American respectability, and the concept of assimilation and its impact on Asian American communities from the nineteenth century to present day.
Divided into four parts, Unassimilable opens with a focus on the San Gabriel Valley (SGV), the first Asian ethnoburb in Los Angeles County and in the nation, where she grew up. A suburban residential and commercial area with a conspicuous cluster of Asian immigrants, SGV thrives not because of its assimilation into Whiteness, but because of its unapologetic catering to its immigrant community.
In part two, Mabute-Louie examines “Predominantly White Institutions With A lot of Asians” and how these institutions shape the contentious racial politics of Asian Americans and Asian internationals, including the fight against affirmative action and the fight for ethnic studies. She moves on to interrogate the role of the immigrant church and religion in part three, showing how, for many immigrants, the church is a sanctuary even as it is an extension of Whiteness, colonialism, and the American Empire. In part four, Bianca looks to the future, boldly proposing a reconsideration of the term Asian American for a new label that better clarifies who Asians in America are today.
Unassimilable offers a radical vision of Asian American political identity informed by a refusal of Whiteness and collective care for each other. It is a forthright and accessible declaration against assimilation and in service of cross-racial, anti-imperialist solidarity and revolutionary politics. Scholarly yet accessible, informative and informed, this important book is a major addition to Ethnic Studies and American Studies.
230 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 14, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 89 reviews
August 21, 2025
Four stars because I appreciate Bianca Mabute-Louie’s staunch refusal to assimilate to white supremacy within the United States. She does a great job of discussing anti-Black racism in the Asian Diasporic community, the history of Asian American/Asian Diasporic racism within the United States, and what pressures may motivate or dismantle assimilation.
A few things made me a bit less enthused about this book. First, for those who are deep in Asian American research and activism, some or a lot of this book’s content may not feel that novel. Second, I agree with other reviewers that Mabute-Louie can get a bit jargony with her writing especially toward the end of the book. Finally, there were some assumptions made in this book that I don’t feel are universally true. For example, early in the book she writes that white logic infiltrates ethnoburbs or predominantly Asian areas, but I don’t think this is always the case – I grew up in a pretty Asian area and tbh I never felt the desire to be white or to align with whiteness (even if I’ve had to make conscious choices throughout my life to resist white assimilation in other ways).
In some ways I felt that this book was more of a 3.5 to me, though because I think the author’s heart is in the right place and I overall align with her politically, I’ll round up to four.
A few things made me a bit less enthused about this book. First, for those who are deep in Asian American research and activism, some or a lot of this book’s content may not feel that novel. Second, I agree with other reviewers that Mabute-Louie can get a bit jargony with her writing especially toward the end of the book. Finally, there were some assumptions made in this book that I don’t feel are universally true. For example, early in the book she writes that white logic infiltrates ethnoburbs or predominantly Asian areas, but I don’t think this is always the case – I grew up in a pretty Asian area and tbh I never felt the desire to be white or to align with whiteness (even if I’ve had to make conscious choices throughout my life to resist white assimilation in other ways).
In some ways I felt that this book was more of a 3.5 to me, though because I think the author’s heart is in the right place and I overall align with her politically, I’ll round up to four.
January 17, 2025
10/10 no notes
February 1, 2025
Finished copy gifted by the publisher
This should be required reading. Here’s everything I love about this book:
- cites a lot of others’ research with interspersed Asian American history, but never reads didactic
- redefining Asian diaspora - a very diverse group of people - into a coalition that can actually make change
- uses her own personal stories as examples. Mabute-Louie doesn’t shy away from examining her own racial biases
- emphasis on community building and solidarity across BIPOC communities
- examines how white supremacy has eroded our connections to ancestral spiritual practices, and offers level headed analysis on the good and bad of Christianity (in being a generous community that helps each other but “with conditions” etc)
- great analysis on the pervasiveness of anti-blackness in the Asian community
- i could go on and on. Go read this book!
This should be required reading. Here’s everything I love about this book:
- cites a lot of others’ research with interspersed Asian American history, but never reads didactic
- redefining Asian diaspora - a very diverse group of people - into a coalition that can actually make change
- uses her own personal stories as examples. Mabute-Louie doesn’t shy away from examining her own racial biases
- emphasis on community building and solidarity across BIPOC communities
- examines how white supremacy has eroded our connections to ancestral spiritual practices, and offers level headed analysis on the good and bad of Christianity (in being a generous community that helps each other but “with conditions” etc)
- great analysis on the pervasiveness of anti-blackness in the Asian community
- i could go on and on. Go read this book!
February 6, 2025
this is an extra special read/review because i not only got to read this book but attended an event on bianca’s book tour last night!!! hooray
i think this book simultaneously affirmed or clarified a lot of feelings/thoughts i’ve had over the last few years about ~asian american identity~ while also introducing new facets of it to me that i wasn’t familiar with but are super essential to understand asian american diasporic experiences (i’m soooo thankful i wasn’t raised in the chinese church lmao)
the basic premise is that "asian american" as an identifier loses its meaning because there's no clear meaning at all -- some ppl might view it as this struggle over inclusion/exclusion from america and trying to make the state "work for us", others ground it in its anti-imperialist/anti-war roots in the 60s and use it as a political orientation towards radical solidarity (i did a project about this in college about this lmao), some of us overly identify or conflate the asian american experience with Black struggle, and some of us remove us from the story of race in america entirely. it's what she calls "racial placelessness" and that shit SUCKSSS!!!!
i think i attach a lot of guilt to my own interpretation of asian american identity because i get so frustrated by the apolitical or downright conservative/anti-Black orientations within my community and how we've become pawns or even willing collaborators in white supremacy :/// not to get PERSONAL on the goodreads but i feel like i've the efforts i've made to seek out and engage in more radical asian american histories/organizing stems not just from my desire for a political home and because i want better for our communities, but also somewhat because i feel like i'm searching for atonement for my guilt!! which is definitely not productive lol but i think it speaks to the need for this book and what bianca offers: a new identity of "asian diaspora" in which we are brought together by our refusal to abet american empire and see ourselves as co-conspirators with colonized and oppressed people around the world. like MAYBE I DON'T WANT TO BE AMERICAN!!!
but where it gets tricky is how we actually get to that understanding ... what i appreciated about the book talk was that bianca didn't claim to have all the answers about how we maintain our own integrity in assimilationist/oppressive institutions or draw boundaries for the safety of the movement while also making our best effort to meet people where they're at and avoid resorting to disposability politics when someone says or does the "wrong" thing. so that's an open question and one that i think we all have to collectively navigate! it's so hard to resist the impulse to judge somewhere by where they're at versus where they COULD be and to employ patience and empathy with those who might not easily lend themselves to it. community is contradictory and complicated!! anyway that is all for now ... you guys should read this book
i think this book simultaneously affirmed or clarified a lot of feelings/thoughts i’ve had over the last few years about ~asian american identity~ while also introducing new facets of it to me that i wasn’t familiar with but are super essential to understand asian american diasporic experiences (i’m soooo thankful i wasn’t raised in the chinese church lmao)
the basic premise is that "asian american" as an identifier loses its meaning because there's no clear meaning at all -- some ppl might view it as this struggle over inclusion/exclusion from america and trying to make the state "work for us", others ground it in its anti-imperialist/anti-war roots in the 60s and use it as a political orientation towards radical solidarity (i did a project about this in college about this lmao), some of us overly identify or conflate the asian american experience with Black struggle, and some of us remove us from the story of race in america entirely. it's what she calls "racial placelessness" and that shit SUCKSSS!!!!
i think i attach a lot of guilt to my own interpretation of asian american identity because i get so frustrated by the apolitical or downright conservative/anti-Black orientations within my community and how we've become pawns or even willing collaborators in white supremacy :/// not to get PERSONAL on the goodreads but i feel like i've the efforts i've made to seek out and engage in more radical asian american histories/organizing stems not just from my desire for a political home and because i want better for our communities, but also somewhat because i feel like i'm searching for atonement for my guilt!! which is definitely not productive lol but i think it speaks to the need for this book and what bianca offers: a new identity of "asian diaspora" in which we are brought together by our refusal to abet american empire and see ourselves as co-conspirators with colonized and oppressed people around the world. like MAYBE I DON'T WANT TO BE AMERICAN!!!
but where it gets tricky is how we actually get to that understanding ... what i appreciated about the book talk was that bianca didn't claim to have all the answers about how we maintain our own integrity in assimilationist/oppressive institutions or draw boundaries for the safety of the movement while also making our best effort to meet people where they're at and avoid resorting to disposability politics when someone says or does the "wrong" thing. so that's an open question and one that i think we all have to collectively navigate! it's so hard to resist the impulse to judge somewhere by where they're at versus where they COULD be and to employ patience and empathy with those who might not easily lend themselves to it. community is contradictory and complicated!! anyway that is all for now ... you guys should read this book
June 29, 2025
Oh this book is everything. It explains so much of my upbringing in a Chinese household and Chinese community but still very much in an institutionalized white education. This book is not just for Asians. I highly recommend this to anyone who wants to understand more about the deeply rooted problems of what makes the US dangerous with their systematic and targeted approach on people of color.
November 21, 2025
this was ARGHH so good - I took pages of notes. made me feel not only validated but so, so hopeful
January 21, 2025
Is it too early to decide this is the best book of 2025. I love this book and Bianca’s insistence on calling out all the hard stuff that has proven difficult for our Asian Diaspora to name and have a firm stance against — all the stuff our immigrant families want to avoid calling out bc we don’t want to overstay our welcome and bc we want to save face as a perpetual foreigner in this place. The blatant rejection of colonialism, imperialism, individualism, and all the other -isms is the rallying cry we all need. It’s also the call for mutual aid and caring for one another that makes this book so radical. I love Bianca’s tidbits about the sociology of Asian Americans - I appreciate so much the calling out of the perceived proximity to whiteness. I don’t think I’ve read as in-depth an analysis as this one and it’s about time someone ripped open the curtain. There is no change if we don’t acknowledge the wrongs and verbalize the untruth. And we Asian Diaspora need to stop centering whiteness.
January 16, 2025
Replete with sociological theories, astute observations and poignant insights.
This is an essential study for all those who identify as Asian diaspora or Asian Americans.
Academics who teach in ethnic studies as well as any Asia related topics will definitely wish to add this book to syllabus.
I’m blown away by the brilliance and moved by the bravery of this author.
Highly recommend.
This is an essential study for all those who identify as Asian diaspora or Asian Americans.
Academics who teach in ethnic studies as well as any Asia related topics will definitely wish to add this book to syllabus.
I’m blown away by the brilliance and moved by the bravery of this author.
Highly recommend.
October 13, 2025
Good but not great. If you're new to the topics she's discussing, this is a good jumping off point. I'm familiar with her arguments so this book mostly affirms my preexisting opinions without sparking new trains of thought.
May 26, 2025
This was a good book about interesting nuances of the Asian-American experience! I enjoyed learning more about the author’s background growing up in an area of Southern California with lots of Asian immigrants, her interactions with “predominantly white institutions with a lot of Asians,” and her complex relationship with Asian immigrant churches. I liked reading her reflections about how different institutions and concepts may be good or bad for the Asian-American community as well as race relations as a whole. I found it particularly interesting to learn more about her experience growing up in the San Gabriel Valley (which has a high percentage of Asians) since my hometown was the opposite at like 95% white.
Some interesting insights from the book:
- Asian immigrants are often overrepresented on both sides of the socioeconomic spectrum. This includes highly educated professionals who were able to come because of immigration policies that prioritize certain skills, as well as many working class immigrants who came as refugees because of political and military instability in their home countries (often due to U.S. involvement in foreign affairs). Due to this vast heterogeneity, it doesn’t sense to label Asian Americans as a whole as “privileged” or “not privileged.” The author argues that socioeconomic diversity within the Asian-American community means that removing affirmative action and other race-conscious policies will hurt subgroups of Asians that really benefit from and deserve the boost.
- While earlier waves of Asian immigrants gravitated towards mainline denominations of Christianity, post-1965 Asian immigrants and their children have become increasingly drawn toward evangelical churches. Some sociologists have theorized that Asian immigrants may be drawn to evangelicalism because of its emphasis on biblical certainty – something that they may seek to contrast the uncertainty in their own lives due to the challenges of immigration and personal struggles with racial identity.
- Coursework in Ethnic Studies can have a positive impact on students even beyond their knowledge about race issues. “Research shows that Ethnic Studies curriculum that reflects the experiences of students of color has a positive impact on student academic engagement, achievement…attendance, literacy proficiency, graduation rates, and college enrollment…regardless of the race of the student.
One thing I did not like as much about this book was that it often used overly academic jargon, especially in the second half. Additionally, the author definitely has strongly progressive views on race issues in America, but I felt that at times the way she presented her views was a bit over the top and potentially alienating to folks who may think a bit differently.
Overall I would recommend this book! No matter your own experience with race or your views on race issues, this book will definitely give you something to think about!
Some interesting insights from the book:
- Asian immigrants are often overrepresented on both sides of the socioeconomic spectrum. This includes highly educated professionals who were able to come because of immigration policies that prioritize certain skills, as well as many working class immigrants who came as refugees because of political and military instability in their home countries (often due to U.S. involvement in foreign affairs). Due to this vast heterogeneity, it doesn’t sense to label Asian Americans as a whole as “privileged” or “not privileged.” The author argues that socioeconomic diversity within the Asian-American community means that removing affirmative action and other race-conscious policies will hurt subgroups of Asians that really benefit from and deserve the boost.
- While earlier waves of Asian immigrants gravitated towards mainline denominations of Christianity, post-1965 Asian immigrants and their children have become increasingly drawn toward evangelical churches. Some sociologists have theorized that Asian immigrants may be drawn to evangelicalism because of its emphasis on biblical certainty – something that they may seek to contrast the uncertainty in their own lives due to the challenges of immigration and personal struggles with racial identity.
- Coursework in Ethnic Studies can have a positive impact on students even beyond their knowledge about race issues. “Research shows that Ethnic Studies curriculum that reflects the experiences of students of color has a positive impact on student academic engagement, achievement…attendance, literacy proficiency, graduation rates, and college enrollment…regardless of the race of the student.
One thing I did not like as much about this book was that it often used overly academic jargon, especially in the second half. Additionally, the author definitely has strongly progressive views on race issues in America, but I felt that at times the way she presented her views was a bit over the top and potentially alienating to folks who may think a bit differently.
Overall I would recommend this book! No matter your own experience with race or your views on race issues, this book will definitely give you something to think about!
September 26, 2025
Super interesting - the jargon is just really over the top, to the exclusion of the author describing key events/stories/experiences. This is especially a bummer because the ideas included here are so interesting and important! I was familiar with most of the jargon used, but even then some sentences felt almost like satire with how much jargon or abstract theory was included. Relatedly, in many parts, this almost read more like an outline of what a section of the book would be. Similarly, the cartoons at the end of chapters were fun but generally not a review, summary, or even highlight of what the chapter included - so, they felt a bit random?
Still! It was really helpful to read about ethnoburbs, the longterm benefits of ethnic studies for students beyond the classroom, disposability politics, and the possibilities + difficulties of Asian Americans organizing in support of Black Americans. This cited many historical events that I knew very little or nothing about (e.g., Black Panthers educating Asian American youth, No-no Boys), so it was definitely worth the read.
Listened on audio while driving (and then looked up the cartoons): great narration!
Still! It was really helpful to read about ethnoburbs, the longterm benefits of ethnic studies for students beyond the classroom, disposability politics, and the possibilities + difficulties of Asian Americans organizing in support of Black Americans. This cited many historical events that I knew very little or nothing about (e.g., Black Panthers educating Asian American youth, No-no Boys), so it was definitely worth the read.
Listened on audio while driving (and then looked up the cartoons): great narration!
March 5, 2025
I knew it would be better to buy this instead of borrowing from the library. Looking forward to re-reading and taking notes.
May 13, 2025
can’t explain how much this book means to me and
how much I admire Bianca Mabute-Louie😭😭😭
Maybe because we both grew up evangelical in a SoCal ethnoburb and then pursued Asian American studies but her writing style felt like home (self aware, confessional?)
Felt immensely seen by the church camp chapter (I cried bro) and loved the author’s personal, accessible anecdotes. Seeing all the citations of scholars I look up to in a book written for the general public made my little nerd heart happy 🤓🤓🤓
one star docked bc buzzword-heavy at the end (maybe because I read these buzzwords on the daily) and maybe not as accessible to people who aren’t on the Internet.
But I’m so so happy and amazed this book exists and I hope many many people read it <3
how much I admire Bianca Mabute-Louie😭😭😭
Maybe because we both grew up evangelical in a SoCal ethnoburb and then pursued Asian American studies but her writing style felt like home (self aware, confessional?)
Felt immensely seen by the church camp chapter (I cried bro) and loved the author’s personal, accessible anecdotes. Seeing all the citations of scholars I look up to in a book written for the general public made my little nerd heart happy 🤓🤓🤓
one star docked bc buzzword-heavy at the end (maybe because I read these buzzwords on the daily) and maybe not as accessible to people who aren’t on the Internet.
But I’m so so happy and amazed this book exists and I hope many many people read it <3
May 12, 2025
need all my Asian diasporic baddies to read this!!!!
October 14, 2025
This book is written like a sociology textbook with commentary from the author’s own experiences. This book hit home for me, as an Asian American growing up in an ethnoburb. Or should I say Asian Diaspora? While I don’t think there is a clear story or message that the author tried to get across, she brought a lot of phrases to things that I had experienced before but never had the language to label it. I’m walking away with book feeling validated for not knowing my place in this political landscape and inspired to take more political action. How exactly, I don’t really know but I think that’s up to each person to determine.
I can see how this might be a confusing book — is it a sociology book? Is it a story? But for me I’ve loved this book and have found myself highlighting and taking notes as I’ve read through it the first time. I’ll likely reread this and continue to unpack the learnings.
I can see how this might be a confusing book — is it a sociology book? Is it a story? But for me I’ve loved this book and have found myself highlighting and taking notes as I’ve read through it the first time. I’ll likely reread this and continue to unpack the learnings.
February 18, 2025
To date, the most important book on Asian American Diaspora studies in the 21st century?
Unassimilable represents a paradigmatic shift in the field of (the sociology of) Asian American studies by historicizing and actively challenging the taken-for-granted ideas in the field. While many scholars are attentive to the recent call for data disaggregation, the faulty assumption of straight-line (or even segmented) assimilation, racial belonging and the resounding failure of the concept "Asian America" to capture anything substantive, few actually take these notions to task by trying to disentangle their real, historical value from their shortcomings of today.
Mabute-Louie's thought brings together extensive scholarship, activism in an ever-changing, discouraging political landscape, and communal love to constitute something new in the field. Rather than an end, Unassimilable provides a new call to action not just for scholars or activists, but all of us who share in this collective that is humanity. I'm excited to see what sort of scholarship and collective action spawns from this work.
Unassimilable represents a paradigmatic shift in the field of (the sociology of) Asian American studies by historicizing and actively challenging the taken-for-granted ideas in the field. While many scholars are attentive to the recent call for data disaggregation, the faulty assumption of straight-line (or even segmented) assimilation, racial belonging and the resounding failure of the concept "Asian America" to capture anything substantive, few actually take these notions to task by trying to disentangle their real, historical value from their shortcomings of today.
Mabute-Louie's thought brings together extensive scholarship, activism in an ever-changing, discouraging political landscape, and communal love to constitute something new in the field. Rather than an end, Unassimilable provides a new call to action not just for scholars or activists, but all of us who share in this collective that is humanity. I'm excited to see what sort of scholarship and collective action spawns from this work.
June 22, 2025
A voice I want more of in a world that needs it
Lately, I find myself drawn by books that try to undo some of the damage brought by a century of lies and propaganda. Those books that aim to decolonise, challenge power, and shine a light on the stories we were never taught.
Unassimilable is one of those rare books that does all of that, while also offering a vision for something better.
Through the lens of Asian diaspora histories and lived experiences, Bianca Mabute Louie doesn’t just tell us what has been purposefully hidden from us, she invites us to imagine what could be. The research alone is incredible (I came away with months, if not years worth of a reading list!), but it’s when she shares her own voice and her family’s stories that the book becomes something truly special. All the while her own illustrations make everything more intimate, more human.
The ending dedicated to her baby, as a promise to the future stayed with me long after I closed the book.
And I can’t not say it: I would’ve given it all the stars in the universe for the clear, unapologetic stance in solidarity with Palestine. That mattered deeply to me.
If I could wish for anything, it’s that she writes another book where her voice is the headline act, and the brilliant references take a step back. Because her voice is one we need more of.
In the meantime, I’ll keep pressing this book into people’s hands, especially those who care about raising kinder, braver kids in a fairer world.
Lately, I find myself drawn by books that try to undo some of the damage brought by a century of lies and propaganda. Those books that aim to decolonise, challenge power, and shine a light on the stories we were never taught.
Unassimilable is one of those rare books that does all of that, while also offering a vision for something better.
Through the lens of Asian diaspora histories and lived experiences, Bianca Mabute Louie doesn’t just tell us what has been purposefully hidden from us, she invites us to imagine what could be. The research alone is incredible (I came away with months, if not years worth of a reading list!), but it’s when she shares her own voice and her family’s stories that the book becomes something truly special. All the while her own illustrations make everything more intimate, more human.
The ending dedicated to her baby, as a promise to the future stayed with me long after I closed the book.
And I can’t not say it: I would’ve given it all the stars in the universe for the clear, unapologetic stance in solidarity with Palestine. That mattered deeply to me.
If I could wish for anything, it’s that she writes another book where her voice is the headline act, and the brilliant references take a step back. Because her voice is one we need more of.
In the meantime, I’ll keep pressing this book into people’s hands, especially those who care about raising kinder, braver kids in a fairer world.
February 20, 2025
a good reminder that my aaads minor was useful 🥲
compelling personal narratives with a great depth of references/connections to history, theory, and wisdom. i think this is a great “intro” (i mean this positively) to asian diaspora discourse/thinking, and it’s easy to find the referenced works or people to go deeper into any area of interest.
the chapter about spirituality didn’t really resonate with me – maybe this booked helped me realize how not spiritual i am, which i think is reasonable as someone who didn’t grow up religious or spiritual. overall though, i still respect and agree with much of the core of what mabute-louie laid out in that chapter (and throughout)!!
compelling personal narratives with a great depth of references/connections to history, theory, and wisdom. i think this is a great “intro” (i mean this positively) to asian diaspora discourse/thinking, and it’s easy to find the referenced works or people to go deeper into any area of interest.
the chapter about spirituality didn’t really resonate with me – maybe this booked helped me realize how not spiritual i am, which i think is reasonable as someone who didn’t grow up religious or spiritual. overall though, i still respect and agree with much of the core of what mabute-louie laid out in that chapter (and throughout)!!
March 3, 2025
Mabute-Louie proposes a paradigm shift in our way of identifying our place in the US as “Asian Americans.” Instead, “Asian Diaspora beckons us to carefully consider the US as a historical and ongoing empire- fueled and justified by White supremacy and the subjugation of Black and Indigenous peoples- in the racialization of our communities.” Asian Diaspora being in my interpretation, membership to a larger shared identity with your ancestral home nation that also acknowledges the unique position of being politically and historically displaced.
The case for embracing the political identity of Asian Diaspora as opposed to Asian Immigrant or Asian American is made as a way of liberating us from the contradiction of continuously looking for inclusion and belonging to a country that props up Asians as a model minority and tool for the oppression of Black people while simultaneously scapegoating us for international political conflict and positioning us as perpetual foreigners. It offers a more inclusive framework of heterogenous Asian experiences in the US while still encompassing an identity that is more politically feasible to organize and advocate around to stop the perpetuation of American imperialist violence and racism.
The book reads as a series of extended academic essays anchored by the author’s own experiences with growing up in an ethnoburb, participation in the Christian church, and journey through Academic institutions. In about 220 pages, Mabute-Louie touches on everything from political oppression of Asian Americans, historic resistance movements, affirmative action, anti-blackness and anti-LGBTQ sentiment in the asian american community, Asian hate during the pandemic,to the Palestinian genocide.
I can identify with some of the author’s own journey of trying to come terms with both wanting to belong to the dominant default White American society to finding comfort within cultural enclaves/communities to disillusionment with both as inadequate to face all the contemporary injustices we witness. Though the author is coming from a relatively privileged and East Asian experience, I think she does a good job of drawing from that experience to benefit the narrative without limiting the applicability to just the Chinese American experience.
It is a hard balance to strike to try and tie together decades of historical context, personal experience, understanding of contemporary issues, and a new paradigm for activism especially in such a short time. In the effort to include important but dense background I feel it does lose some of that personal grounding through academia speak. Additionally, it lays a lot if groundwork for why we need a better way to understand Asian struggles and identity but I wish it fleshed out more what “Asian Diaspora” can and should look like in approaching issues that we face today. I overall think this book is worth reading and engaging with the ideas though I do feel like it didn’t necessarily have the time to fully engage with each subject and breezed through summaries around academic discourse around complex issues.
The case for embracing the political identity of Asian Diaspora as opposed to Asian Immigrant or Asian American is made as a way of liberating us from the contradiction of continuously looking for inclusion and belonging to a country that props up Asians as a model minority and tool for the oppression of Black people while simultaneously scapegoating us for international political conflict and positioning us as perpetual foreigners. It offers a more inclusive framework of heterogenous Asian experiences in the US while still encompassing an identity that is more politically feasible to organize and advocate around to stop the perpetuation of American imperialist violence and racism.
The book reads as a series of extended academic essays anchored by the author’s own experiences with growing up in an ethnoburb, participation in the Christian church, and journey through Academic institutions. In about 220 pages, Mabute-Louie touches on everything from political oppression of Asian Americans, historic resistance movements, affirmative action, anti-blackness and anti-LGBTQ sentiment in the asian american community, Asian hate during the pandemic,to the Palestinian genocide.
I can identify with some of the author’s own journey of trying to come terms with both wanting to belong to the dominant default White American society to finding comfort within cultural enclaves/communities to disillusionment with both as inadequate to face all the contemporary injustices we witness. Though the author is coming from a relatively privileged and East Asian experience, I think she does a good job of drawing from that experience to benefit the narrative without limiting the applicability to just the Chinese American experience.
It is a hard balance to strike to try and tie together decades of historical context, personal experience, understanding of contemporary issues, and a new paradigm for activism especially in such a short time. In the effort to include important but dense background I feel it does lose some of that personal grounding through academia speak. Additionally, it lays a lot if groundwork for why we need a better way to understand Asian struggles and identity but I wish it fleshed out more what “Asian Diaspora” can and should look like in approaching issues that we face today. I overall think this book is worth reading and engaging with the ideas though I do feel like it didn’t necessarily have the time to fully engage with each subject and breezed through summaries around academic discourse around complex issues.
April 9, 2025
I appreciated the interconnections of anti-blackness compared to white supremacy that othered, erased, or pitted Asians against the backdrop of race relations. I know SGV pretty well, but to gain more insight into the historical and cultural context of the region was very insightful. This was a great read and I definitely recommend not only for Asian people but for all to deepen our empathy and understanding of each other.
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February 6, 2025really learned so much in such a digestible way from this book 😎 it’s always amazing reading Asian Diasporic authors and realizing perhaps I’ve never had an original experience! that’s the power of the collective
I found the chapters about IV and ethnic studies really powerful and I’m grateful Texas has someone so committed and intentional fighting for the community
I found the chapters about IV and ethnic studies really powerful and I’m grateful Texas has someone so committed and intentional fighting for the community
April 28, 2025
A bit buzzword heavy, but I really liked the personal anecdotes and how it read as a journey to understand racial identity. I didn’t learn as much as maybe others would bc this was literally all I studied in college lol but would definitely recommend this to my new adult Asian American friends.
March 8, 2025
Will be coming back to this whenever I need a reminder of what anti-imperalist solidarity can look like for Asian diaspora 🫶
June 27, 2025
A good book on the Asian AMerican experience.
July 28, 2025
An amazing reminder of what it means to be a part of the Asian Diaspora, really reaffirms all that I’ve learned about my Asian diasporic identity and adds to it in a new, different, and deeper way
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February 6, 2025i have a sentimental attachment to "asian american" because of its historical roots as a call for solidarity with one another against the more common and dehumanizing term, "oriental"; however, i've never felt fully comfortable with the label because i don't care to be american. i undeniably benefit from the privileges of being an american citizen, but i don't ever want to prop up an identity and an existence that is predicated on indigenous dispossession, antiblackness, and imperialism. i'm so grateful that in UNASSIMILABLE, mabute-louie offers up another term, "asian diaspora," and another way of being that defies the assimilationist & pro-american narratives that are often pushed. mabute-louie does an excellent job of incorporating historical groundings into her own experiences, and i found the latter chapters really fresh and exciting as a former asian american studies major. i don't know if "asian diaspora" is necessarily the correct term for me, but i am all for the rationale behind it, and i'm in awe of the way that mabute-louie opens up the door for multiple ways of being that are rooted in kinship and solidarity with others. this is really THEE radical "asian american" book that i've been looking for, and i think it's accessible to all regardless of how much background info you already have on the topic.
August 22, 2025
I feel like I read a lot of long sentences with big words (never want to see the word pedagogical again lol) just to be left feeling…nothing in the end?? Wasn’t the point to rally people up and make them care??? I did learn I do not enjoy reading manifestos, or maybe just ones as rambling as this.
September 28, 2025
Keeping in mind that this is part manifesto and part memoir, I thought it did a good job of contextualizing and defining the many contradictions of asian american identity and activism.
This is a great starting point to the discussion about the role asian diaspora play in global white supremacy, and also references several works to read for a more in depth look.
This is a great starting point to the discussion about the role asian diaspora play in global white supremacy, and also references several works to read for a more in depth look.
February 12, 2025
I loved the premise of this nonfiction book with its overarching theme of unassimilation. I felt a real paradigm shift in my head reading this. I think it’s common to hear about what we sacrifice with assimilation, but flipping that and focusing on what it means to refuse to assimilate and highlighting spaces where assimilation is contested truly feels like a radical framework worth exploring.
My favorite chapters were the ones on ethnoburbs (ethnic enclave suburbs) and Asian churches/evangelicals, which were topics I haven’t read about before and helped me gain perspective on upbringings different from my own.
I also appreciated the author’s thoughts around Asian Americans as an identity group and current issues that we face. She suggests ditching the term Asian American in favor of Asian Diaspora, which she makes an interesting case for.
Although this is positioned as a combination of manifesto and memoir, that’s not how I would describe it. I don’t think it had the tone and force of a manifesto (or at least what I think of as a manifesto). The writing was a bit too scholarly and I was wanting it to be more personal and direct, so I would say it’s more like essays than a manifesto-memoir.
Overall, the book brings up interesting ideas and I think it’s worth reading!
* I received a gifted copy from the publisher.
My favorite chapters were the ones on ethnoburbs (ethnic enclave suburbs) and Asian churches/evangelicals, which were topics I haven’t read about before and helped me gain perspective on upbringings different from my own.
I also appreciated the author’s thoughts around Asian Americans as an identity group and current issues that we face. She suggests ditching the term Asian American in favor of Asian Diaspora, which she makes an interesting case for.
Although this is positioned as a combination of manifesto and memoir, that’s not how I would describe it. I don’t think it had the tone and force of a manifesto (or at least what I think of as a manifesto). The writing was a bit too scholarly and I was wanting it to be more personal and direct, so I would say it’s more like essays than a manifesto-memoir.
Overall, the book brings up interesting ideas and I think it’s worth reading!
* I received a gifted copy from the publisher.
April 2, 2025
Mabute-Louie mixes personal history and academic literature to contextualize her childhood growing up in the ethnoburbs of Southern California, conceptualizing her identity between her mostly-white private school and the Chinese Christian church. Later on, college in Oakland and experiences working within the church complicate her early conceptions of her identity.
It is a decent primer in Asian American (or Diasporic) theory, and I appreciate how much of herself she brings into it. Our histories are valuable, and I see some of my own path in both her own story and the academic context she brings, like the sense of racial placelessness. In other ways, she offers a peek into an alternative life: growing up amongst a LOT of other Asians, as well as the ethnic church experience, were both new to me and fascinating.
I found her language to be overly academic sometimes, and would’ve loved more on the rise of a conservative Asian America, but overall lots of valuable stories, theory, and research all synthesized together.
It is a decent primer in Asian American (or Diasporic) theory, and I appreciate how much of herself she brings into it. Our histories are valuable, and I see some of my own path in both her own story and the academic context she brings, like the sense of racial placelessness. In other ways, she offers a peek into an alternative life: growing up amongst a LOT of other Asians, as well as the ethnic church experience, were both new to me and fascinating.
I found her language to be overly academic sometimes, and would’ve loved more on the rise of a conservative Asian America, but overall lots of valuable stories, theory, and research all synthesized together.
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