Marger begins by emphasizing the history of migration by Asian people into the USA; he notes that there are two distinct parts. The first wave is said to have begun around the middle of the 19th century and was spearheaded by Chinese migrants (Marger 2008a: 248). Their movement reflected the neoclassical theory of migration where people’s movements are dictated by push-pull factors especially on an economic level (Castles and Miller 2003: 22). The United States provided opportunities for unskilled, male Chinese laborers through the gold rush in California and the transcontinental railroad (Marger 2008a: 248). Their presence was believed to be a labor threat by the white majority and their virulent fear of an invasion led to the creation of
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Even before the advent of the Immigrant Act of 1965, the hostility towards Asians was augmented by their success with farming as was the case with the Japanese (Marger 2008a: 249). The household income of certain Asian Americans, like Indians, surpasses a majority of other minority ethnic groups (Marger 2008a: 257). Asian Americans are also more likely to hold college degrees compared to whites and 20% hold advanced degrees (Marger 2008a: 261). As mentioned before, Asians tend to have high-occupational ranking. For example, Filipinos are the majority within the field of nursing (Marger 2008a: 252; Le Espiritu 1999: 631). These findings fit what I have observed within my family and our friends who generally do not appear to be struggling and hold very prestigious occupations. A big reason for this success is the “structural opportunities in addition to cultural heritage” (Marger 2008a: 265). Current migrants are found to consist mainly those with high education and skill-set looking increase their opportunities (Tsuda 2010: 2; Castles and Miller 2003: 23; Marger 2008a: 265). They are already achievement-oriented and are able to pass on this motivation with a strong ethnic identity to their children to create a chain of successful generations (Portes and Zhou 1993:
Even before the advent of the Immigrant Act of 1965, the hostility towards Asians was augmented by their success with farming as was the case with the Japanese (Marger 2008a: 249). The household income of certain Asian Americans, like Indians, surpasses a majority of other minority ethnic groups (Marger 2008a: 257). Asian Americans are also more likely to hold college degrees compared to whites and 20% hold advanced degrees (Marger 2008a: 261). As mentioned before, Asians tend to have high-occupational ranking. For example, Filipinos are the majority within the field of nursing (Marger 2008a: 252; Le Espiritu 1999: 631). These findings fit what I have observed within my family and our friends who generally do not appear to be struggling and hold very prestigious occupations. A big reason for this success is the “structural opportunities in addition to cultural heritage” (Marger 2008a: 265). Current migrants are found to consist mainly those with high education and skill-set looking increase their opportunities (Tsuda 2010: 2; Castles and Miller 2003: 23; Marger 2008a: 265). They are already achievement-oriented and are able to pass on this motivation with a strong ethnic identity to their children to create a chain of successful generations (Portes and Zhou 1993: