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Khanh Le
Political Science/Ethnic Studies

Lynn Fujiwara, Mentor

Transnational Violence and the United States War in Viet Nam

The United States employed racial slurs to dehumanize Viet nationals and construct them as "enemies" during the US war in Viet Nam. Thirty years later, the Viet/American community continues to encounter a hostile, war-created environment in the U.S. that manifests itself in hate crimes and other forms of hatred. Today, attacks on the Viet/American community by white Americans reflect racist constructions of Viet/Americans as "gooks" and "enemies" thus justifying both hate motivated actions by individuals and institutional racism. An analysis of several specific hate crime and speech incidents committed against Viet/Americans will reveal how people were racially constructed in national and ethnic newspapers. Further, the language the assailants used, as well as public commentary regarding each incident allows a comparative examination of the construction of racial hate toward Viet/Americans during and after the war. These incidents show how heterosexual, white masculinity, and supremacist narratives attempt to reinforce, control, and oppress Viet/Americans through violent acts, but also show the ways Viet/Americans and other Asian/American communities have challenged these racist attacks.