Karen L. Ishizuka Books

This work is essential for understanding the evolution of Asian American identity as a significant force in political activism, particularly during a period often dominated by African American and gender movements. Karen Ishizuka emphasizes that 'Asian American' was once a term representing a struggle against societal norms. The narrative chronicles how diverse groups—people of color, women, queer individuals, students, and the working class—transformed U.S. history, promoting democracy and awareness of imperialism. Through meticulous research and over a hundred interviews, Ishizuka connects the Yellow Power movement with other radical efforts, offering fresh insights into this overlooked chapter of history. The book captures the voices of activists from various cities, presenting a movement that holds equal significance to the Black and Chicano movements. Ishizuka’s personal connection to the history enriches the narrative, while also highlighting the long-standing interactions between African Americans and Asian Americans. This multi-voice account illustrates the emergence of Asian America as both a political identity and a community. It argues that remembering the Asian American Movement is crucial for claiming a future envisioned by its founders. The study is a compelling exploration of how activists forged a unified identity from diverse ethnic backgrounds, advocating for collective grievances and a more just society. Hi

The political ferment of the 1960s produced not only the Civil Rights Movement but others in its wake: women’s liberation, gay rights, Chicano power, and the Asian American Movement. Here is a definitive history of the social and cultural movement that knit a hugely disparate and isolated set of communities into a political identity—and along the way created a racial group out of marginalized people who had been uncomfortably lumped together as Orientals. The Asian American Movement was an unabashedly radical social movement, sprung from campuses and city ghettoes and allied with Third World freedom struggles and the anti-Vietnam War movement, seen as a racist intervention in Asia. It also introduced to mainstream America a generation of now internationally famous artists, writers, and musicians, like novelist Maxine Hong Kingston.Karen Ishizuka’s definitive history is based on years of research and more than 120 extensive interviews with movement leaders and participants. It’s written in a vivid narrative style and illustrated with many striking images from guerrilla movement publications. Making Asian America is a book that fills out the full story of the Long Sixties.