“Asians in the Library”

This chapter addresses how Asian/Americans are seen in higher education spaces, e.g., they are stereotyped as model minorities who are frequently found in libraries studying. We discuss how Asian/Americans are used in the debate on affirmative action, namely how they are stereotyped as overrepresented model minorities who are actually harmed by affirmative action. We show the distinction, however, between affirmative action and negative action. Asian/Americans deserve affirmative action and ought to oppose negative action. The chapter proposes that we move beyond simply opposing Asian/American stereotypes and instead advocate centering Asian/Americans and decentering White privilege.