Model minority myth

The model minority myth is a racialized social construct that effectively frames certain minority groups, particularly Asian Americans, as comparatively successful, culturally adaptable, and morally disciplined to the same or different minority groups. Far from being a neutral or positive stereotype, this representation is a historically embedded discourse shaped largely by Western imperialism, settler colonialism, and global racial capitalism. The model minority concept has been traced back to the Civil Rights Movement in the United States during the late-1950s to 1960s as an antithesis to African American claims of racial discrimination, oppression, and systemic barriers that impeded upward social mobility. Its articulation gained particular traction amidst the Cold War era, when the perceived economic and educational “success” of Japanese migrants and later Chinese were strategically contrasted with the demands of African Americans. In this manner, the myth was mobilized to foster racial liberalism and drew upon individualistic neoliberal rationalizations to oppose Asian American “success” to African American “failure”. With the turn of the 21st century, the model minority myth has been widely criticized as oversimplistic and misleading, operating as a form of racial bordering—used to justify discriminatory policies, systemic barriers, and neglect marginalized communities.