Unassimilable: An Asian Diasporic Manifesto for the Twenty-First Century

A scholar and activist’s brilliant socio-political examination of Asian Americans who refuse to assimilate and instead build their own belonging on their own terms outside of mainstream American institutions.

In this hard-hitting and deeply personal book, a combination of manifesto and memoir, scholar, sociologist, and activist Bianca Mabute-Louie examines and transforms the ways we understand race, class, citizenship, and the concept of assimilation and its impact on Asian American communities from the nineteenth century to present day.Divided into four parts, UNASSIMILABLE opens with a focus on the San Gabriel Valley (SGV), the first Asian ethnoburb in Los Angeles County and in the nation, where she grew up. A suburban residential and commercial area with a conspicuous cluster of Asian immigrants, SGV thrives not because of its assimilation into Whiteness, but because of its unapologetic catering to its immigrant community.In part two, Mabute-Louie examines “Predominantly White Institutions With A Lot of Asians” and how these institutions shape the contentious racial politics of Asian Americans and Asian internationals, including the fight against affirmative action and the fight for ethnic studies. She moves on to interrogate the role of the immigrant church and religion in part three, showing how, for many immigrants, the church is a sanctuary even as it is an extension of Whiteness, colonialism, and the American Empire. In part four, Bianca looks to the future, boldly proposing a reconsideration of the term Asian American for a new label that better clarifies who Asians in America are today.UNASSIMILABLE offers a radical vision of Asian American political identity informed by a refusal of Whiteness and collective care for each other. It is a forthright and accessible declaration against assimilation and in service of cross-racial, anti-imperialist solidarity and revolutionary politics. Scholarly yet accessible, informative and informed, this important book is a major addition to Ethnic Studies and American Studies.

About the Author

Bianca Mabute-Louie is an award-winning sociologist, speaker, and activist completing her PhD at Rice University, where she researches the intersections of race, religion, and politics. She is published in top academic journals, including Social Forces and Sociology of Race and Ethnicity, as well as in public outlets like Elle Magazine. Bianca has been featured in CNN, TIME, ABC, LA Times, among other outlets. Over the last decade, Bianca has served Asian American community organizations and taught Asian American Studies. Through her work in academia and the community, Bianca is committed to the praxis of solidarity and collective liberation.