Texts to Consider
I approached this set of resources in a spirit of juxtaposing different genres, experiences, and communities in order to see what connections, contrasts, and questions will emerge. My hope is that teachers will choose several of these texts and put them in dialogue with each other. The more seemingly disparate these choices are, the more illuminating the conversations will be.
Here a few questions you might use to frame these conversations.
1) Silence and speaking out are two central issues in many mental health narratives. How do these texts explore staying silent and speaking? What are the benefits and costs of each?
2) How does gender play a central role in mental health issues in Asian American communities?
3) What options for treatment and/ or recovery do these texts offer? If they don't consider these possibilities, why do you think that's the case?
4) How do larger cultural, social, and political forces shape the way Asian Americans experience mental health issues?
Here are a few possible ways to structure these conversations and a few potential assignments.
1) Socratic Seminars/ Fishbowl discussions.
2) "Chalk Talk" or Silent Conversations.
3) Storyboards.
4) Students could create found poems/ collages that weave together text and images from two or three of the resources below.
5) Students could design and shoot informational videos on mental health issues in Asian American communities.
Here a few questions you might use to frame these conversations.
1) Silence and speaking out are two central issues in many mental health narratives. How do these texts explore staying silent and speaking? What are the benefits and costs of each?
2) How does gender play a central role in mental health issues in Asian American communities?
3) What options for treatment and/ or recovery do these texts offer? If they don't consider these possibilities, why do you think that's the case?
4) How do larger cultural, social, and political forces shape the way Asian Americans experience mental health issues?
Here are a few possible ways to structure these conversations and a few potential assignments.
1) Socratic Seminars/ Fishbowl discussions.
2) "Chalk Talk" or Silent Conversations.
3) Storyboards.
4) Students could create found poems/ collages that weave together text and images from two or three of the resources below.
5) Students could design and shoot informational videos on mental health issues in Asian American communities.
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Kristina Wong's one-woman show, Wong Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, explores her struggles with depression and her attempts to seek treatment. In documenting her experiences, Wong depicts the difficult process of trying to get treatment, dissects the cultural and social forces that may hold Asian Americans back from seeking help, and gives voice to the experiences of a variety of Asian American women who are affected by a range of mental health issues. The humor in Wong's show can be edgy, so excerpts may work best in a high school classroom.
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"A Dialogue on Racial Melancholia," David L. Eng and Shinhee Han
This scholarly article introduces and develops the idea of racial melancholia. Eng and Han draws on Freud's idea of melancholia, an unhealthily prolonged period of grief and mourning, to identify and elucidate the ways in which Asian Americans may be striving for an idealized and unattainable "whiteness." Because of this racial melancholia, Asian Americans are trapped in a state of "suspended assimilation" (672), caught between two worlds but never fully belonging to either.
This scholarly article introduces and develops the idea of racial melancholia. Eng and Han draws on Freud's idea of melancholia, an unhealthily prolonged period of grief and mourning, to identify and elucidate the ways in which Asian Americans may be striving for an idealized and unattainable "whiteness." Because of this racial melancholia, Asian Americans are trapped in a state of "suspended assimilation" (672), caught between two worlds but never fully belonging to either.
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"Perfection" charts the life of an Asian American woman from infancy to adulthood using the framing device of the game Perfection. Its minimal dialogue, rapid succession of images, and soundtrack choices offer an effective account of the psychic costs of attempting to live up to the model minority myth.
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While there is growing awareness about the struggles Asian American women face with depression and suicide, Asian American men seem to be missing from the research and the media coverage of these issues. It's also not easy to think of examples of books, films, etc. that depict head-on the ways Asian American men may experience depression or suicide. Shortcomings by Adrian Tomine provides one of the most direct fictional portraits of an Asian American man who, in his ex-girlfriend's assessment, is awash in a stew of "depression and anger management. . .weird self-hatred issues. . .and just relentless negativity" (103). Through Ben's story, readers can examine the ways masculinity, sexuality, Asian American identity and mental health converge. As with Wong Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, some of the material is not classroom appropriate, so excerpts may be more useful.
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The dominant narrative in the media around mental health and Asian Americans focuses on depression and suicide rates among second generation Asian American women. This issue is clearly an important and pressing one. At the same time, this focus renders other mental health issues in Asian American communities invisible or at least marginal. Children of the Camps takes on one of these overlooked issues--the trauma Japanese Americans experienced in the internment camps during World War II. This documentary chronicles a three day retreat during which six Japanese Americans who were imprisoned as children share their stories. Children of the Camps provides a powerful portrait of Asian Americans in a therapeutic setting and explores the ways historical forces intersect with mental health issues.
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Another group and experience that are often missing from the media's coverage of mental health issues in Asian American communities is that of the Southeast Asian American diaspora and the PTSD members of those communities may have. The Gangster We are All Looking For traces the story of a Vietnamese American woman who was a refugee sponsored to America after the Vietnam War. The novel is especially powerful in its depiction of the protagonist's father and the PTSD he experienced from fighting in the war, being sent to a reeducation camp, and being a refugee.
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Talking about mental health issues is complicated and painful for many Asian Americans. Receiving a diagnosis and culturally competent care and treatment are just as complex and difficult processes. E Haku Inoa tells the story of Christen Hepuakoa Marquez's journey to discover the meaning of her Hawaiian name and reconnect with her mother who was diagnosed with schizophrenia when Christen was a child. The film raises important questions about how best to understand Marquez's mother's schizophrenia in the context of Hawaiian culture and practices.
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http://nymag.com/news/features/danny-chen-2012-1/
In 2011, Private Danny Chen, a U.S. army soldier serving in Afghanistan, short himself while on guard duty. This article from New York Magazine is an exploration of the reasons and forces that led Chen to serve in the military and ultimately commit suicide. Chen's story highlights the ways masculinity, second generation Asian American identity, and the military's institutionally sanctioned racism converge in tragedy.
In 2011, Private Danny Chen, a U.S. army soldier serving in Afghanistan, short himself while on guard duty. This article from New York Magazine is an exploration of the reasons and forces that led Chen to serve in the military and ultimately commit suicide. Chen's story highlights the ways masculinity, second generation Asian American identity, and the military's institutionally sanctioned racism converge in tragedy.