Asian Americans and the Spirit of Racial Capitalism (AAR Reflection and Theory in the Study of Religion)

Asian Americans and the Spirit of Racial Capitalism contrasts two approaches to antiracist theory and practice. The first emphasizes racial identity to the exclusion of political economy. This approach’s prevalence, in the academy and beyond, now rises to the level of established doctrine. The second approach views racial identity as the function of a particular political economy—what is called racial capitalism—and therefore analytically subordinates racial identity to political economy. The book develops arguments in favor of the second approach. It does so by employing case studies of two Asian American communities: a Chinese migrant settlement in the Mississippi Delta (1868–1969) and a religious base community in the Bayview/Hunters Point section of San Francisco (1969–present). While focused on groups and persons (i.e., the Delta Chinese and Redeemer Community Church) the book more broadly examines racial capitalism’s processes and commitments (i.e., the Delta Chinese business model and Redeemer’s “deep economy”) at the sites of their structural and systemic unfolding. Constructively, the book proposes reframing antiracism in terms of a theologically salient account of political economy. In pursuing a research agenda that pushes beyond the narrow confines of racial identity, the book reaches back to trusted modes of analysis that have been obscured by the prevailing antiracist orthodoxy. Approaching race through political economy will not get at everything that racism is, and does, but it gets at what can be managed, and in the last resort lived. Accordingly, the book invites readers into a different life with race and racism, reimagining what they are and are doing. "This book contrasts two approaches to antiracist theory and practice. The first emphasizes racial identity to the exclusion of political economy. This approach's prevalence, in the academy and beyond, now rises to the level of established doctrine. The second approach views racial identity as the function of a particular political economy-what is called "racial capitalism"-and therefore analytically subordinates racial identity to political economy. The book develops arguments in favor of the second approach. It does so by employing an extended analysis of two case studies: a Chinese migrant settlement in the Delta Mississippi (1868-1969) and a religious base community in the Bayview/Hunters Point section of San Francisco (1969-present). While focused on groups and persons (i.e., the Delta Chinese and Redeemer Community Church) the book more broadly examines racial capitalism's processes and commitments (i.e., the Delta Chinese business model and Redeemer's "deep economy") at the sites of their structural and systemic unfolding. Constructively, the book proposes reframing antiracism in terms of a theologically salient account of political economy. In pursuing a research agenda that pushes beyond the narrow confines of racial identity, the book reaches back to trusted modes of analysis that have been obscured by the prevailing antiracist orthodoxy. Approaching race through political economy will not get at everything that racism is, and does, but it gets at what can be managed, and in the last resort lived. Accordingly, the book invites readers into a different life with race and racism, reimagining what they are and are doing"-- Provided by publisher cover Series Asian Americans and the Spirit of Racial Capitalism Copyright Dedication Contents Preface and Note on Method Acknowledgments Introduction Christianity as Political Economy The Book’s Outline Part I: The Delta Chinese 1. Remythologizing the Model Minority Myth: The Chinese Question The Myth’s Cottage Industry An Evening Redness in the West “The Chinaman in Miniature” The Chinese Question America’s First Model Minorities Remythologizing the Myth Revolutions of the Myth 2. A Moving Picture of Racial Capitalism The Political Economy of Racial Capitalism Aftermarkets in the Desert: The Delta Chinese Business Model Remaining Hon Yen, Becoming Christian The Fire Ever Burning 3. Becoming White in the White/​Black Binary The Convenience of Race Framing the Mississippi Chinese Becoming-​White Tropic Histories The Plenteous Harvest Bobby Jue and the Complicated Legacy of the Delta Chinese Part II: Redeemer Community Church 4. Redeemer Community Church and All that Lies Beneath Redeemer Community Church A Place of Shared Time The First and Last Black People in San Francisco “Okay, We Don’t Know about Each Other” All that Lies Beneath 5. Deep Economy: Dayspring’s Doxology BVHP as Ecology Deep Economy Their Ecology Is a Story Called the Divine Economy The Liberation of Chi-​Ming Chien Everything Is Connected 6. Rise University Preparatory and the Politics of Hope Model Minority Hoarding Available Scripts Abolition and Theodicies of Quietude The Church’s Hallway Eschatology Between Alienation and Home Postscript: Beyond Marxism References Index 01_9780197587904_Index.pdf Any serious consideration of Asian American life forces us to reframe the way we talk about racism and antiracism. There are two contemporary approaches to antiracist theory and practice. The first emphasizes racial identity to the exclusion of political economy, making racialized life in America illegible. This approach's prevalence, in the academy and beyond, now rises to the level of established doctrine. The second approach views racial identity as the function of a particular political economy--what is called “racial capitalism>--and therefore analytically subordinates racial identity to political economy. Jonathan Tran develops arguments in favor of this second approach. He does so by means of an extended analysis of two case studies: a Chinese migrant settlement in the Mississippi Delta (1868-1969) and the Redeemer Community Church in the Bayview/Hunters Point section of San Francisco (1969-present). While his analysis is focused on particular groups and persons, he uses it to examine more broadly racial capitalism's processes and commitments at the sites of their structural and systemic unfolding. In pursuing a research agenda that pushes beyond the narrow confines of racial identity, Tran reaches back to trusted modes of analysis that have been obscured by the prevailing antiracist orthodoxy and proposes reframing antiracism in terms of a theologically salient account of political economy. Any serious consideration of Asian American life forces us to reframe the way we talk about racism and antiracism. The current emphasis on racial identity obscures the political economic basis that makes racialized life in America legible. This is especially true when it comes to Asian Americans. This book reframes the conversation in terms of what has been called ""racial capitalism"" and utilizes two extended case studies to show how Asian Americans perpetuate and resist its political economy. Any serious consideration of Asian American life forces us to reframe the way we talk about racism and antiracism. The current emphasis on racial identity obscures the political economic basis that makes racialised life in America legible. This is especially true when it comes to Asian Americans. This book reframes the conversation in terms of what has been called 'racial capitalism' and utilises two extended case studies to show how Asian Americans perpetuate and resist its political economy