Week 8 Prompt: Narrative of Vietnamese RefugeesIn her article "Toward a ritical Refugee !tud": The Vietnamese Refugee !u#$ect in %! !cholarship"& 'en (e )spiritu criticall" anal"*es the role of Vietnamese +mericans in the %! societ" and contrasts realit" with the traditional views of Vietnamese +mericans as refugees of war, !he lists three dominant narratives that e-plains and reconstructs the idea of "refugee" as a term that "criticall" call into .uestion the relationship #etween war& race& and violence& then and now" as opposed to "a stage for the /re0production of +merican identities and for the shoring up of %! militarism," /)spiritu& 1220 The first narrative she touched upon is the construction of the "model minorit"" as Vietnamese refugees are viewed as desperate3turned3successful e-amples ofthe "+merican 4ream", (ater on in the second section of the article& )spiritu e-plains the spread of +sian +merican consciousness and its social and political effects on the Vietnamese +mericans, (astl"& the idea of "refugee" is redefined as )spiritu e-amines the Vietnamese +mericans5 role in the war and how memories of events define and change through generations,The construction of "model minorit""& )spiritu argued& #egan with the view of Vietnamese refugees as victims, "6owever well3intentioned& this crisis model& which fi-ates on the refugees5 purported fragile ps"chological and emotional state& discursivel" constructs Vietnamese as 5passive& immo#ili*ed& and pathetic5," /)spiritu& 1220 This effectivel" demonstrateshow Vietnamese are viewed as people who are to #e pitied and thus in some aspects inferior to the average +merican, This la#el of inferiorit" was then full" utili*ed #" the +merican societ" through arguing that undesira#le $o#s are #etter suited to these desperate refugee, Then& #" contrasting Vietnamese workers with other workers of color& the" are used as a tool to re#ut the civil rights movements #" claiming that hard work and selfless sacrifices are all that is needed for success despite the fact that Vietnamese workers are stuck in low3pa"ing dead3end $o#s that re.uire them to work long hours, These effects& stemmed from the "model minorit""& works against #oth sides #" degrading #lacks and 6ispanics as "underclass minorities" and also perpetuates the isolation and alleged inferiorit" of Vietnamese +mericans,This idea of "model minorit"" itself does not onl" negativel" affect the #lack and 6ispanic racial groups& #ut also has a #acklash on the Vietnamese communit" itself, The" were included in the pan3+sian +merican communit" on a "differential inclusion" #asis where "7a8s ane-ample& given the availa#ilit" of government funding for disadvantaged groups& man" +sian +merican agencies eagerl" welcome the refugees into the pan3+sian fold& #ut often without tending to the social& political& and economical ine.ualities that e-ist within and #etween their communities," /)spiritu& 1280 +lthough Vietnamese +mericans were viewed as a part of the model minorit"& within the +sian +merican group as a whole& the" were viewed as a lower caste compared to the dominant group of hinese and 9apanese +mericans& and therefore are su#$ectedto ine.ualities and pre$udice within the +sian +merican communit", :inall"& the narrative of the "refugee" is discussed in the article; what is viewed #" spectators as the most predominantl" defining narrative for Vietnamese +mericans& )spiritu argued& should #e im#ued "with social and political criti.ues 33 this is& to conceptuali*e 5the refugee5 not as an o#$ect of investigation& #ut rather as a paradigm 5whose function 7is8 to esta#lish and make intelligi#le a wider set of pro#lems,5" /)spiritu& 1