Academics Using STEM To Take Down NeoLiberalism

If you spend any time at academic conferences, you realize that their biggest target is not conservatives (and realize they have vanquished), who they barely acknowledge, but “neoliberals.”

“This paper examines historical and contemporary racializations of Asian(Americans) within the STEM system,” Grace A. Chen and Jason Y. Buell write in the abstract of their article “Of models and myths: Asian(Americans) in STEM and the neoliberal racial project.”

“The prevailing perception of Asian(Americans) as model minorities masks how their multiple and contradictory positionings in the STEM system perpetuate the neoliberal racial project and reproduce systems of racism and oppression,” they explain. “Through a multidisciplinary analysis of STEM education and industry, we demonstrate that the shifting racialization of Asian(Americans) secures advantages for White Americans by promoting meritocracy and producerism and justifies White supremacy.”

“By serving these functions, the racialization of Asian(Americans) within the STEM system is central to the neoliberal racial project. This paper also suggests how STEM education researchers can reveal and resist, rather than veil and support, the neoliberal racial project in STEM.” Their article appeared in the journal Race, Ethnicity and Education.

Chen is at the Peabody College of Education at Vanderbilt. Buell is at the College of Education at the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Related Topics