Schema Magazine

What began as the youth component of the Anniversaries of Change 2007 has expanded to address popular stereotypes of Asians by redefining them into the meaning of "Asian Canadian."

Inspired by the need to give young people a voice to share their issues, the project deconstructs what the general populace sees as "Asian". By acknowledging and overcoming these stereotypes, the project aims to help dismantle the barriers erected by people's preconceptions of Asian Canadians.

Members of the general public were asked to name three famous Asians as well as three traits they associate with Asians. Over four hundred surveys were collected from SFU, UBC, the Vancouver Public Library, and online sources. They were then sorted and categorized, with the results serving as the themes from which individual artists could create their images.

A recurring theme that emerged was defining the category of "Asian." While some South Asians felt it necessary to mention that they too are Asian Canadian, many respondents named the likes of Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, Jet Li, and Lucy Liu as the famous people of Asian descent that first came to mind. This suggests many see "Asian" as mainly "Chinese," regardless of the other Asian communities that live in and have had a major impact on the Lower Mainland.

Through this project we aim to recognize that "Asian Canadian" includes a wide range of communities, and that Canadians of Asian descent can be as uniquely Canadian in our multifaceted mosaic.