The Myth of Asian American Identity

Where do we fit in?

"What is an Asian American?" Jay Kang asks in this week's cover story.

For decades, the label has been defined by stories like his, reflecting the upward mobility of the Asians, largely East Asians, whose families came to the United States after the passage of the 1965 Immigration Act.

But this is an incomplete picture of America's fastest-growing demographic group. There are nearly 20 million Asian Americans who come from more than 20 different countries. Their politics and fortunes vary widely. Most have no real connection to the term "Asian American."

When it comes to the nation's racial and ethnic divisions, where do they fit in?

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