“Ask the Asian! He Knows!”: Dismantling the Model-Minority Stereotype in Mathematics

Abstract

Two firsthand experiences with the stereotype “All Asians are good at math” are shared—one as an undergraduate
mathematics student and another as a teacher of mathematics. Although the two episodes are separated by nearly twenty
years, the experiences are remarkably similar. The article discusses the origins of the stereotype, as well as how it racializes
the subject of mathematics and burdens members of the Asian American community. Through narrative storytelling, advice
is offered on how to confront and defuse racial prejudice in mathematical settings.