ABSTRACT
This chapter examines two major scholarships in the study of Chinese immigrant descendants in North American societies. One is on the new second generation and the other is about the model minority stereotype. Particularly, it criticizes Canadian scholars' response to the segmented assimilation model which tends to deny racial problem in Canada. It argues that no matter how assimilated or successful they are, Chinese immigrant descendants cannot get rid of the impact of model minority stereotype on them. This chapter traces the origin and history of model minority discourse and highlights three detrimental implications of this stereotype. First, it falsely assumes Asian students as academic achievers due to their Asian cultures. Second, the flip side of the stereotype viciously implies a deficit Asian character. Third, it puts Asians in an awkward position in race relations by provoking jealousy and antipathy from other groups. This chapter also briefly introduces the research project with 35 Chinese Canadian youth and discusses the researcher's positionality and reflexivity.
