ore, is on “American” and belonging to the nation. Most Asian Americans are stung when asked: “Where are you from? I mean, originally?” See ASIAN EXCLUSION ACTS; COLONIALISM; DIALECT; IMPERIALISM; MODEL MINORITY, myth of; RACE, biological basis of; RACE, scientific; RACE, sociological construct of; WALTER-MCCARRAN ACT; “WHITE MAN’S BURDEN”; YELLOW PERIL; YELLOW SKIN.
Origin almost certainly Japanese. There are references to the cookies in Japanese literature and history, including an 1878 image of a man making them in a bakery. China and Japan do not have a tradition of dessert following a meal.
Caution. Stereotype. Created by mystery writer Sax Rohmer in 1913 and popularized in 1930s and 1940s films. Fu Manchu was an evil genius. He was portrayed by many actors, including Warner Oland, who also played Charlie Chan. Rohmer described him this way: “Imagine a person, tall, lean, and feline, high-shouldered, with a brow like Shakespeare and a face like Satan, a close-shaven skull, and long, magnetic eyes of the true cat-green.” He is also “the yellow peril incarnate in one man.” Later Asian and pseudo-Asian villains — like Flash Gordon’s nemesis, Emperor Ming the Merciless, and James Bond’s Dr. No — were variations of Fu Manchu. See also ASIATIC; CAUCASIAN; CHARLIE CHAN; COLONIALISM; EXOTIC; IMPERIALISM; INSCRUTABLE; ORIENTAL; “WHITE MAN’S BURDEN”; YELLOW PERIL; YELLOW SKIN.
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (1869-1948). Known as the Mahatma (“great soul”) and the father of modern India, M.K. Gandhi served as president of the Indian National Congress and helped lead a nonviolent movement for independence from Britain during the first half of the 20th century. He was assassinated in 1948 in a conspiracy by fanatical nationalists who accused him of betraying Hindus and favoring Muslims during the Partition of 1947. No relation to Indira Gandhi or Rajiv Gandhi. See COLONIALISM; HINDI; HINDU; INDIA; ISLAM; MUSLIM; SOUTH ASIA; THIRD WORLD.
GOOK: Avoid, a slur. See CHINAMAN; CHINK; EYE SHAPE, reference to; GOOK; INSCRUTABLE; SLANT; SLOPE; YELLOW PERIL; VIETNAMESE SLURS; YELLOW SKIN.
HAJJ/HAJ (typically not capitalized):
A pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of the prophet Muhammad. Every Muslim able to afford the journey is to make the hajj at least once in his or her lifetime. Similar to Christian pilgrimages to Jerusalem in the Middle Ages but more urgent. A person who has undertaken this pilgrimage is known as a hajji (or haji). Many East Asians and South Asians are seen in Mecca. See ISLAM.
Once considered derogatory, hapa comes from the Hawaiian phrase hapa haole (pronounced “hah-puh how-lee”) meaning “half white/ foreigner.” It now describes anyone whose heritage is white plus another racial or ethnic group, but especially Asians and Pacific Islanders. The term is now considered by many to be one of positive self-identification. See ETHNIC GROUP; HAWAIIAN; PACIFIC ISLANDER; RACISM, social construct of.
Caution. An ethnic group. Refers to a person who is of Polynesian descent. Unlike a term like Californian, Hawaiian should not be used for everyone living in Hawaii. The distinction is not trivial. If Wales were the 51st state, not everyone living in Wales would be Welsh. Possible alternative: islander. See ETHNIC GROUP; ETHNICITY; PACIFIC ISLANDER.
A scarf or other head covering worn by Muslim women and, broadly, a metaphor for female privacy and modesty. Wearing one in most Muslim societies is a matter of choice, but there can be pressure to use one in fundamentalist communities. In countries such as Turkey and Egypt, there are different styles of hijab, including wearing none at all.
The primary language of a plurality of India’s citizens, and one of almost two dozen major languages spoken around that country. It is derived primarily from Sanskrit, using the Devanagari script. Do not confuse Hindi with Hindu, which is a religious designation. See HINDU; INDIA; SOUTH ASIA.
Designating the faith practiced by most Indians, and designating certain cultural features of South and Southeast Asia. Hinduism is a largely poly