Re/Presentation of Asian Americans in 50 States’ K–12 U.S. History Standards

Abstract This study is a content analysis of K–12 U.S. history curriculum standards from 50 states regarding curricular re/presentation of Asian Americans. The guiding research questions are as follows: (1) What is the frequency of Asian American content covered in K–12 U.S. history standards from 50 states? (2) How do the standards depict Asian Americans in U.S. history? I analyzed U.S. history curriculum standards from all states using AsianCrit as a theoretical lens. The findings reveal that except for Japanese incarceration and anti-Asian immigration laws, Asian Americans are largely invisible in the state standards and, when included, they are primarily depicted as victims of nativist racism with a lack of civic agency as well as new immigrants with little contribution to nation-building. Being the first work to uncover curricular messages about Asian Americans across 50 states’ standards, this study presents a necessary empirical basis for disrupting curriculum violence.