Asians, as a minority group in America, sit pretty squarely in a sort of purgatory when it comes to the antagonistic politics of the comfortable vs. the afflicted. This comes with its advantages; a definitive identity is not one of them. Burdened as they are, with an unspecific name and accompanying mish-mash identity, Asian Americans have interestingly emerged in several recent stories — from The Wall Street Journal and Newsweek — in a somewhat victorious light.

A brief, chronological compendium follows.

February 25, 2004: The Wall Street Journal runs “Affluence rises for Asian Americans.” The main point here is that Asians are the fastest growing group of affluent investors in this country. They accounted for less than one percent of affluent households in 2002. That number grew to five percent today.

March 22, 2004: Newsweek publishes “American Masala.” This story profiles accomplished South Asians, including, among others, a movie director, novelist, and doctor. More importantly, the story lays out the rising cultural influence of immigrants and their descendants.

April 19, 2004: This time, Newsweek runs a story about Asians abroad in “Asians get going.” Here, a writer for the magazine says that Asians in Asia have more money and have started to travel abroad, boosting tourism and offering huge potential for future growth. This, the story says, is the beginning of a larger wave of travelers from China and India.

April 28, 2004: Another reporter at the WSJ writes about the proliferation of mini-Chinatowns in surburban America. The opening anecdote charmingly tells of one entrepreneur who got started building these mini-Chinatowns after he frustratingly could not find a decent Chinese-vegetarian meal for his mother while they were visiting Las Vegas. The consumption of real estate and the demand for ethnic food are the clearest signs of a culture’s growth, if you ask me.

This latest coverage makes you wonder: Will the image of Asians as financially successful and culturally influential further deconstruct the outmoded stereotypes of Asians as clever and closed-off? Eric Liu wrote in his book of essays, The Accidental Asian, that the collective identity of Asian Americans, “fragile invention that it is, will simply dissipate through intermarriage, as so many Jews fear is happening to their community.” He continued, “On the other hand, it’s possible the Asian identity will intensify in the next generation … The old borders are shifting.” They certainly still shift, but today, some six years after Liu published that, we still have little idea which way they move.

Vinnee Tong