Asian American Men’s Gendered Racial Socialization and Fragmented Masculinity: Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis

Abstract

We investigated the messages, ideals, and critical experiences that constitute gendered racial socialization for Asian American men (AAM) throughout their development. We employed interpretive phenomenology to analyze interview data from 15 sociodemographically diverse AAM. We identified seven themes: (a) intergenerational parental ideologies, (b) geographic and neighborhood influences, (c) multilevel gendered racism, (d) silencing of gendered racial experiences, (e) survival by identity erasure, (f) rare experiences of affirmation, and (g) fragmented masculinity. Results illustrated a social developmental ecology of highly adverse lifetime experiences—comprised of gendered racism, shame and internalized oppression, thwarted attempts to perform hegemonic masculinity ideals, and minimal access to communities and resources for AAM’s identity affirmation in the United States—that may engender fragmented masculinity, or identity disintegration beleaguered by incommensurable gendered expectations across heritage ethnic and dominant cultures. Implications include systemic interventions to eliminate gendered racism and promote narratives and socialization practices that affirm AAM.

Ethnic‐racial socialization in mono‐racial Asian American and Pacific Islander families: A 21‐year systematic literature review

“…Some studies documented other ERS strategies in AAPI families, such as egalitarianism (French et al, 2013;Kiang et al, 2022;Kim, Hunt, et al, 2023;Patel et al, 2022), pluralism (Kiang et al, 2022;Kim, Hunt, et al, 2023;Ren et al, 2022), minimization of race (Keum et al, 2023;Kiang et al, 2022;Kim, Hunt, et al, 2023), exposure to diversity (Alvarez et al, 2006;Park, 2020;Tian, 2023), avoidance of race talk (Keum et al, 2023) ERS with other constructs: discrimination (Ajayi & Syed, 2014), ethnic-racial identity (Wu et al, 2020;Xie et al, 2021), American identity (Wu et al, 2020), and model minority experiences (Kiang et al, 2019;Xie et al, 2021).…”

“…Coard et al (2023) found that some but not all parents felt that personal testimonies of their own experiences of discrimination were a necessary part of preparation for bias. Several studies documented how family socialization occurs in combination with other actors (e.g., peers, media) and other settings (e.g., community contexts, school) (Ahn et al, 2022;Keum et al, 2023;Lee et al, 2022;Sladek et al, 2022). Ahn et al (2022) and Keum et al (2023) examined gendered racial socialization among women and men, respectively, showing how parents socialize about ethnicity-race differently by child gender.…”

“…Several studies documented how family socialization occurs in combination with other actors (e.g., peers, media) and other settings (e.g., community contexts, school) (Ahn et al, 2022;Keum et al, 2023;Lee et al, 2022;Sladek et al, 2022). Ahn et al (2022) and Keum et al (2023) examined gendered racial socialization among women and men, respectively, showing how parents socialize about ethnicity-race differently by child gender. Both studies found that some parents encourage silence about gendered racial experiences, the former study identified some parents who prepared their daughters for bias, encouraged them to fight back in the face of discrimination whereas the latter study identified some parents who reinforced gendered racial stereotypes of Asian men, thus minimizing racist discrimination experiences.…”

“…Parents' ethnic-racial attitudes and literacy. With regard to racial attitudes, Keum et al (2023) found that parents' internalized racism (qualitatively measured as idealization of European and white American cultures and/or colorism in Asian communities and broader society) was associated with white supremacist socialization. Kim, Hunt, et al (2023) found that internalized racism, quantitatively measured, was associated with more frequent socialization in the form of becoming American, minimization of race, pluralism, and promotion of equality (egalitarianism).…”

Familial critical consciousness socialization: How key family theories can expand racial‐ethnic socialization research among Asian American families

“…Psychologists and family science scholars assert that various forms of oppression other than racism (e.g., heterosexism, nationalism, and colonialism) influences family socialization (Collins, 1998; David et al, 2017; Jordan, 2021). Additionally, research on Asian Americans' racial socialization similarly suggests that socialization is informed by various social identities, and Asian Americans learn about the implications of their racial, gender, and sexual identities in tandem (Ahn et al, 2021; Keum et al, 2023). Therefore, the broader framing of critical consciousness socialization gives voice to how family conversations about power can expand beyond analyses of racism.…”