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Lack of Representation of Asian-American History

The Limits of Representation: The Asian-American Case

Corky Lee, a self-described ABC (American-Born Chinese), is a photographer who believes that it is his mission to ensure that the Chinese- and other Asia-American groups that have contributed to the development and advancement of the United States are represented in the photographic record (Boxer, 1û3). Conversely, Phouong Do, a "young Vietnamese-American photographer who was taking pictures of Mr. Lee taking pictures (Boxer, 2), believes that Lee's use of framed, posed shots is inappropriate; she sees the kinds of "decisive moments" that Lee photographs as "made" rather than actual, and therefore questions their validity, charging that there are limits to representation that may be as if not more significant than a lack of representation. This is an important point: as this essay will argue, a lack of representation of certain groups (such as peoples of color) and their accomplishments or contributions itself "represents" attitudes relevant to the group. The limits that should be imposed on representation are meant to reflect actuality and not some idealized state.

Mr. Lee's theory is, at its core, quite valid. He is concerned legitimately with the fact that Asian-Americans have in general been deliberately excluded from the history books and the photographic record. He uses the example of the Chinese laborers who were largely responsible for the completion of the transcontinental railroad and who were totally excluded from the picture commemorating the completion of that important transportation line (Boxer, 1) to illustrate his point about the lack of representation to which certain minorities have been subjected. Because he feels that this constitutes an injustice û as well as a form of historical inaccuracy - Lee restaged the event to set the record straight and, as significantly, to invest ignored groups with their won historical achievements and activities. ...

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Lack of Representation of Asian-American History. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 17:47, March 28, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1704908.html