Alex V.
Lowe discusses the legal/politcal concept of the "abstract citizen," in which all people are "formally equivalent" and inequalities are ignored. Why does this concept rely on the formation of a national culture, and what effect does this have on immigrants and minorities?
Shannon
What does the concept "abstract citizen" tell about the meaning of citizenship and immigration for a country? How much does this depend on the ethnicity of a citizen?
Tiffany
What do you think immigration can show us about transnationalism?
Christy
What did you think about the debate over the young Chinese-American designer of the Vietnam Memorial? Did it surprise you? Can you think of any other instances where a designer's race or ethnicity caused such controversy, and why does race matter in this instance?
Zach F.
"The granting of rights does not abolish the economic system that profits from racism" (26). This statement is powerful and if true how do we change an economic system ,that is supposed to be dependent on markets, to lessen this labored racism?
Julie
How has capitalism complicated the nation-state's preference for a "national culture"? How has the nation-state dealt with its need for a labor force of immigrants that it, on one level, doesn't want?
Stephanie
Within the article, the author describes the "distance" that exists between Asian culture and American culture, and a somewhat failed attempt at integration of the two cultures. With all the globalization we have read about, especially focusing on the globalized products and ideas between Asian countries and the US, do you buy this? Despite such efforts, do you think that such a "distance" really exist?
Alex P.
Is citizenship a 'right' or a 'privilege'? Since government's have the 'power' to grant citizenship, should/do they also have the authority to take it away?
James
Is it more than legal reasons for an Asian immigrant to be considered 'alien' as a noncitizen and a 'citizen' as an Asian American? At what point does an immigrant become a citizen?
Gavin
Why do you think that gender and racial features constricted particular workers (Chinese, Indians, Japanese, Koreans, and Filipinos - Pg. 14)?
L.B.
Throughout the piece, terms such as legal, illegal, citizen, and noncitizen arise constantly. How does labeling play into this piece and what effect does it on the entire process in general?
Hannah
Is the distinction between Asian, Asian-American and American one that helps or hurts ones cultural identity. Why is it that it is necessary to make this distinction for Asian and African Americans, but not Irish or Italian Americans? What does this say about our country and its need for labels?
Natalie
How many generations do Asian Americans' families have to live in the United States for them to lose the "Asian" in front of thier ethnicity? And how does this differ from how the general public classifies it and how the individual Asian Americans classify it?
Lizzy
Can we parallel the alienation of Asian Americans to the situation of domestic workers? Will they never fit in as well?
Joshua
How can we began to explain Asian Americans being in a "differential relationship to the political and cultural institutions of the nation-state"?
Zach N.
Where is the line drawn between becoming rivals in the global economy and Asian immigrants being necessary for the labor force? If one significantly outweighed the other, what would happen?
Stacey
On page 4 it states that, "the American citizen has been defined over against the Asian immigrant, legally, economically, and culturally." Asians have now been immigrating into America since the 19th century. Why are Asians one of the leading immigrants coming to America compared to other countries? Do they have bigger aspirations than others?
Ian
Who benefits from immigration the most, the state in the Marxian sense with a labor surplus or the immigrant for the new opportunity? As globalization continues to change the world will immigration become a more or less important topic?
Ian
How do you study illegal flows? What are the moral and ethical obligations involved in this kind of a study?
Christy
We draw a lot of arrows in class. The author discusses the use and meaning of the arrow in chapter one. After a semester of thinking about flows and exchange, do you now view the arrow differently than you used to?
Lizzy
How do borders get created? What causes changes in the permeability of these borders?
Zach
Schendel's piece is very ambitious, but what type of problems are there with this type of research? Breaking in? Trust? And how do you think borderlands can break down nation-state borders from a societal angle?
Natalie
What have airplanes done to the concept of borders? We have always viewed borders as a line on the ground, signs when we are driving, but as soon as we get on an airplane those lines disapear and we fly from one nation-state's heartland to another. How has this affected illegal flows and border patrol?
Tiffany
How do you think borderlines hurt or help the states?
James
Do you think the illegal flow of commodities, people, and ideas hurts states? Why/Why not?
Julie
How are states, transborder arrangements, and transnational flow interconnected and how does recognizing this fact change the way we study illegal flows?
LB
The borderlands are a hot bed for illegal flows. Because of the inevitability of these practices, the ease with which they are completed, and the incredible amount of resources involved (both man-power and capital), should we be looking there for true globalization? Is transnationalism best described through illegal flows?
Alex P.
Many hands touch a diamond before it reaches its display case at Tiffany's. How does this change the meaning we give to jewelery, such as engagement/wedding rings?
Amanda
Blood diamonds have been the topic of many articles, books and even feature films. It's a grueling process that essentially only benefits the person who purchases the jewelry piece with the diamonds in it. Is this becoming a reoccuring theme of globalizaiton that only the person at the end of the chain is the one who benefits?