Problems with Unity: Examining IdentityBased Organizing and Coalitions Using the "Asian Pacific Isla

1
Problems with Unity Examining Identity-Based
Organizing and Coalitions Using the "Asian
Pacific Islander" Example

• Daniel Domaguin
• Cheska Tolentino
• COOL Conference 2006
• Nashville, Tennessee

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Why Identity-Based Organizing?

• Perceived shared/similar experience
• Generating a voice through strength in numbers
• Political power
• Maintaining/shaping/finding minority identity
  within a majority context
• Support system

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What is a Coalition?

• "A combination of two or more factions or parties
  for the purpose of achieving some political goal
  "
• Meant to be temporary
• Common, immediate cause

4
Why were Asian and Pacific Islanders grouped
together?

• Prior to the 1980 Census, all Pacific Islanders,
  except Native Hawaiians, were completely hidden
  in national demographics, despite the fact
  their presence in America can be traced back to
  the late 18th century. (J. Kehaulani Kauanui)
• Asian and Pacific Islanders were combined
  together in the 1990 US Census
• Filipino American demographer Juanita Tamayo Lott
  said Asians and Pacific Islanders were grouped
  together to allow Pacific Islanders better access
  to government programs as a component of a larger
  ethnic group, rather than as a small minority.
  (AsianWeek Magazine (1997) )

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Why does an API identity and organizing still
exist?

• In the 2000 Census, Native Hawaiians and other
  Pacific Islanders were separated from the Asian
  racial group
• Conflation of the "Pacific Rim" with the "Pacific
  Basin" popular discourse refers to the combined
  geographic areas as the "Asia-Pacific Region"
• Some scholars in Asian American Studies feel a
  need for inclusion of Pacific Islanders with the
  "Asian American" rubric
• Coalition politics
• Representation within an already-established
  field

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Separating Pacific Islanders from Asian America

• "For whatever productive dialogues there may be
  between Pacific Islander Studies and Asian
  American Studies, under no circumstance should
  Pacific Islanders, or Pacific Islands Studies, be
  subsumed under the institutional framework of
  Asian American history and experiences. Though
  I'm sure nobody wishes this to be the case, the
  question of just how Pacific Islander and Asian
  American Studies are articulated together will
  always raise the specter of unequal power
  relations." -Vicente Diaz
• "In the conflated terms 'Asian Pacific American'
  or 'Asian Pacific Islander,' there is no
  recognition that Pacific Islanders already
  constitute a panethnic group, one requiring a
  very different research and policy agenda...they
  are two different panethnic groups, each with
  their own history, development and problems."-J.
  Kehaulani Kauanui

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Power and Privilege in the API Community

• Within the Asian panethnic group, there are many
  different ethnicities and cultures, several of
  which are often marginalized (i.e. Southeast
  Asians, South Asians)
• Certain groups are privileged within the "API"
  identity
• East Asians (Chinese, Japanese)

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Power and Privilege in the API Community

• Adding Pacific Islanders to the Asian American
  rubric creates further problems of inclusion
  and exclusion within an already
  overly-comprehensive identity
• How do power and privilege drive the dynamics of
  the "Asian American community"?
• How are these dynamics complicated with the
  inclusion of Pacific Islanders?

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What is an Ally?

• An ally tries to understand the struggles of
  another group and to support and advocate for
  that specific community
• Meant to be a permanent/continual process

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Some Problems Shared Among Identity-based
Organizing Groups

• Extending coalitions to unequal alliances
• Subsuming unrelated groups
• Conflating identities
• Perpetuation of colonialism and imperialism

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How Does the API Example Relate to Other
Identity-based Organizing and Coalitions?
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Ideas and Solutions?