Abstract
This paper is an analysis of the relationship between educational experiences, street life, and gang formation for Vietnamese American youth gang members in Southern California. I use critical narrative methodology to center the life and experiences of a Los Angeles area gang member. His narrative substantiates how racism in schools and on the streets works together to impact and inform gang formation. Schools were sites of inter-ethnic conflict and racialized tension, and streets were spaces for contentious interactions with the police. In addition, I place the Vietnamese American youth gang phenomenon in larger historical and political contexts such as Californias anti-youth legislation, representations of Asian American youth, and U.S. geo-politics and imperialismfactors that have serious material and ideological implications and consequences.
Recommended Citation
Lam, Kevin D.
(2012)
"Racism, Schooling, and the Streets: A Critical Analysis of Vietnamese American Youth Gang Formation in Southern California,"
Journal of Southeast Asian American Education and Advancement: Vol. 7
:
Iss.
1,
Article 1.
DOI: 10.7771/2153-8999.1043
Available at:
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jsaaea/vol7/iss1/1
