Salzburg Global Fellow Risa Pieters reflects on discussions at this year's Salzburg Global American Studies Program that highlighted the power of literature
This article was written by Salzburg Global Fellow Risa Pieters, who attended the Salzburg Global American Studies program on “Crossing the Pacific: The Asian American Experience in U.S. Society and Discourse” in September 2024.
From historical divisions to contemporary changes within the region, the state of affairs in Asia has long and profoundly affected the experience of Asian Americans and the Asian diaspora at large. The discussions we had at Salzburg Global provided a critical historical lens on how economic power and geopolitical shifts have long influenced the construction of race upon the Asian diaspora while fueling broader anti-Asian fear, perpetual foreigner stereotypes, and discrimination.
Anti-Asian History in the U.S.
The major current shift in focus is toward China’s rise as a global power and the U.S.-China competition across multiple fronts, including economics, technology, and nuclear arms. This is fueling a resurgence of the “foreign enemy” narrative, echoing America’s dark past and legacy of anti-Asian propaganda and exclusion.
This narrative, as history shows, has fueled a wave of anti-Asian laws and violence, culminating at scale in the incarceration of Japanese Americans and continuing to serve as an undercurrent to the anti-Asian discrimination we see today. Amidst the news of the U.S. House of Representatives passing a $1.6 billion package to deliver anti-China propaganda overseas, it is timely to reflect on the history of anti-Japan propaganda and its lasting impact on Asian Americans.
We are already seeing trends that feel like they’re taking us back to the days of anti-Japan propaganda that precipitated Vincent Chin’s murder, making it critical that we study these historical instances of discrimination - particularly the role of identifying the “enemy” - to prevent their repetition today. A clear takeaway from this Salzburg Global program was the powerful role of literature as a tool and vital pathway to achieving this understanding.
Understanding the U.S.’ anti-Asian history, from Chinese exclusion and Japanese internment to the anti-Japanese sentiment fueled by the perception of Japan as an economic threat, is essential for recognizing the enduring impacts of racial discrimination and scapegoating. By examining these historic injustices, we raise awareness around the importance of protecting vulnerable communities today and challenging the rise of anti-China narratives to prevent the repetition of such discriminatory practices.
This work is urgent, as it is not a future to fear but a present reality. The racialization of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 led to a significant surge in anti-Asian hate and violence. Today, the rising bipartisan anti-China sentiment has also ignited fear and prejudice, with proposals for anti-Chinese laws reminiscent of the alien land laws emerging across the southern U.S.
The "Foreign Enemy" Narrative
The narrative of the “foreign enemy” manifests in various ways, impacting Asian Americans of all backgrounds and rippling throughout the global Asian diaspora. This education is also crucial because history proves that discriminatory laws breed discrimination that knows no borders. The United States’ Chinese Exclusion Act and Alien Land Laws of the late 1800s and early 1900s served as inspiration for various exclusionary policies on the basis of race by leaders and governments around the world, including the Nazi Party and South Africa’s government. We have also seen how other racist policies, including Jim Crow laws in the U.S., have influenced South Africa’s apartheid regime. The implications of foreign enemy narratives and the exclusionary acts that follow extend far beyond our borders, especially in a highly interconnected world where the U.S. seeks to reshape global alliances to counter China’s influence.
Speaking of the ripples of effects beyond our borders, it’s also crucial to recognize how the intensifying competition between the U.S. and China is driving military expansion in the Asia-Pacific region, harming Asian and Pacific communities, particularly Indigenous Pacific Islanders. It is imperative to raise awareness of this issue and build on the social justice foundations of the Asian American identity and community to speak out against U.S. military intervention and violence in Asia. While we raise awareness about the impact of rising U.S.-China tensions on Asians at home, we must also highlight how militarization impacts our communities across the Asia-Pacific region and stand in solidarity with “You who hold up more than your fair share of the sky.”
The Power of Literature
To effectively do so, the forum brought to light the power of literature as a tool for history education and understanding the interwoven nature of how shifts in power in Asia come to negatively influence Asian Americans and the Asian diaspora at large.
Texts like Mine Okubo’s Citizen 13660 and John Okada’s No-No Boy were discussed in a breakout discussion, and I’d also recommend Franke Abe’s We Hereby Refuse: Japanese American Resistance to Wartime Incarceration and Abe’s latest anthology, written in collaboration with Floyd Cheung, The Literature of Japanese American Incarceration, as educational tools. I also recommended Julian Aguon’s No Country for Eight-Spot Butterflies on the impacts of U.S. militarization and the nuclear arms race in the Pacific. One of the beautiful outcomes of this forum has been the curation of a comprehensive list of recommended books by the participants.
However, learning our history is just the first step; raising awareness of its contemporary influence and the urgent need to address its re-manifestation amidst rising U.S.-China tensions is imperative. I am grateful for this group of scholars, historians, educators, and activists who are highlighting the deep connective tissue for people to understand how our country’s history has led us to where we are today.
Reflecting on the power of literature as a tool to understand our past has also inspired me to harness the power of literature to reimagine the future: One where the voices of Asian Americans can move beyond just defending our civil rights as citizens towards defending the rights of all folks of the Asian diaspora around the world to exist peacefully in the plurality of who we are as we continue to cross the Pacific.
Risa Pieters is the Deputy Director of Global Programs, Asia-Pacific Lead at the Obama Foundation. Risa brings nearly a decade of professional experience in the Asia-Pacific, working closely with nonprofits, policymakers, companies, and the region's emerging social impact leaders to advance pro-social initiatives and promote international cooperation and peace. Risa's career has been shaped by her mixed Japanese-South African background, working with atomic bomb survivors in Japan and anti-apartheid activists in South Africa. Her five years in Hong Kong focused on fostering cross-sector collaboration for social change across Asia. Now heading the Asia-Pacific Obama Leaders program, Risa is supporting emerging leaders in expanding their capacity for values-based leadership and building a community dedicated to collaborative progress and peace.
Explore our digital publication, which includes more coverage from the Salzburg Global American Studies program on “Crossing the Pacific: The Asian American Experience in U.S. Society and Discourse.”
