Asian

The term Asian in a geographical sense simply refers to something or someone from Asia. However the term has evolved in popular usage to often mean a person from a specific part of Asia rather than the continent as a whole. Its precise use varies depending on who is using it, where it is being used, and in which context it is being used in.

'Asian' in the UK and anglophone Africa

In the United Kingdom and Anglophone Africa, the term "Asian", though it can be used to refer to the continent of Asia as a whole, is more usually associated specifically with people and cultures whose origin lies in South Asia: that is, modern-day India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka (see British Asian). Some Britons carelessly use "India" to refer to the whole of South Asia, while others make a clear distinction between the various countries that form the region. The British term of Asian is now making headway into Canadian English.

Up until recently, Asians were seen from the perspective of England. The term "Far East" comes from the English. It is clearly not American, as Asia is directly West of America. The newer classifications of "Asia/Pacific" etc. are the American view of the world.

Many Chinese South Africans dislike the label 'Asian', which they associate with being Indian or South Asian.

'Asian' in other English-speaking countries

In the United States, Canada, and Australasia, since approximately 1990, "Asian" has been used to refer to people from China, Japan, Korea and other East Asian countries. "Asian" is often considered a more polite (or, some would say, more politically correct) alternative to "Oriental". This is partially due to the perception amongst some in academia that the term "Orientalism" is now associated with the European colonial attitude toward the Ottoman East.

To avoid the confusion that sometimes occurs, the term "East Asian" is sometimes used to distinguish people from South-East Asia, China, Japan, and Korea, and "South Asian" for Indians, Pakistanis and Bangaldeshis (or, more commonly, in North America, "Asian Indians" and "East Indians"). It should be noted that both of these clarifications are relatively formal, and are used only when it is necessary to make a distinction between the group concerned and other Asian peoples.

'Asian' in the US Census

In the US Census, the term Asian refers to all of these peoples, whether their racial origins are in the Far East (East Asia), Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent. However, respondents are allowed to indicate more precise racial groupings, such as "Asian Indian", "Chinese", "Filipino", "Korean", "Japanese", "Vietnamese", Burmese, Hmong, Pakistani, Laotian, Thai or "Other Asian".

Far East (East-Asian American) : China/Chinese American, Japan/Japanese American, Mongolia/Mongolian American, South Korea/South-Korean American, and Taiwan/Taiwanese American.

Southeast Asia (Southeast-Asian American): Brunei/Bruneian American, Burma/Burmese American, Cambodia/Cambodian American, East Timor/Timorese American, Indonesia/Indonesian American, Laos/Laotian American, Malaysia/Malaysian American, The Philippines/Filipino American, Singapore/Singaporean American, Thailand/Thai American, and Vietnam/Vietnamese American.

Indian Subcontinent (South-Asian American) : Bangladesh/Bangladeshi American, Bhutan/Bhutanese American, India/Asian-Indian American,The Maldives/Maldivian American, Pakistan/Pakistani American.

The US Census's definition of "Asian" does not, however include Arabs, or other peoples living in the Near East or Middle East.

When is an Asian not an Asian?

Despite the fact that these people are technically 'Asians' by geographical location on the map, they have generally have not been labelled as such in Western society.

'West Asians'

The term "West Asian" is now sometimes used to refer to people from Middle Eastern nations. This term is used mostly in Australasia where the "Middle East" is actually to the west, and so the term "Middle East" is geographically confusing.

Though in Western society, Middle Easterners rarely evoke the term Asian, the original Greek name Asia referred to Asia Minor, where we would now consider as Middle East. An example of this is in Alexander the Great's title King of Asia.

Russians

Most of Russia's huge territory is in Asia, though the majority of its population is in Europe and ethnically European. Depending on context, Russian people may be considered European, Asian, or mixed according to their individual ethnic nationality, ancestry, or appearance; or may be considered European or Asian based on their current or recent place of residence; or may be considered European or Asian just as citizens of a state extending into Europe or Asia. The word Eurasian is also often used to describe Russia's position in the world. See also Transcontinental nation.

When "Asian" is used as a shorthand for "East Asian" or "South Asian", Russians of course are usually not included.

Are Pacific Islanders Asian?

Sometimes, Pacific Islanders, such as Native Hawaiians or Samoans, who do not technically belong to the continent of Asia, may be classified or "clumped together" with the Asians as a group, often in censuses, surveys or studies. Thus, occasionally the term "Asians and Pacific Islanders" or "Asia/Pacific" may be used. However, in the 2000 US Census, many Pacific Islanders did not consider themselves the same race as Asians, and classified themselves separately.

Are Australasians Asian?

Australia and New Zealand now consider themselves part of Asia, as they are definely not European nations. The mere term "Australasia" indiciates that it is part of Asia. Americans now define the groupings, and lump Australians into "Asia/Pacific".

Problems with the term

Assyrians, Arabs, Persians, Ottomans, Indians, Chinese, Japanese, Koreans, Vietnamese, and many other ethnic and cultural groups are often grouped together in the single category of 'Asian' and this can cause considerable confusion. The term is sometimes used to denote people from Asia in general and other times used to refer to only a specific group of them (eg. East Asians). People have different conceptions of who an Asian is and thus the term is not a very precise or accurate one. Because the Asian population is such a heterogenous one, some believe that the idea that "Asians" form a coherent cultural group is outmoded and therefore the term should be replaced by the use of separate terms for each Asian cultural or geographical group.

External links

• On Asian and Oriental, essay by Alan Hu on "Asian" vs. "Oriental"
• Asian-American Race Definition