ABSTRACT
As a construct, grit has been universalized in education to explain how individuals persevere through hardship to attain success. For Asian Americans, the model minority myth has become a central narrative to explain their success. Grit is a conditional, racialized construct that underscores the belief that some Asian Americans are universally successful and, therefore, grit may not be an applicable measure. At the same time, grit positions other Asian subgroups as lacking the capability to develop grit, thus undeserving any support. In higher education contexts, this conditional yet weaponized wielding of grit thrives in race-neutral environments rendering Asian Americans invisible, resulting in their exclusion in educational equity conversations at best; at worst, Asian Americans are pitted against each other and other groups of color. The authors make these arguments in the context of the historical and contemporary racialization of Asian Americans in American society and higher education to explore how grit is a color-evasive, universalized construct that advances the current system of inequity. The chapter highlights the tensions with the individualized nature of grit juxtaposed with the model and deviant minority myths as weaponized concepts that result in harm and material consequences for Asian Americans and other communities of color.
