British East and Southeast Asian

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The terms British East and Southeast Asian (BESEA) or simply East and Southeast Asian (ESEA) are used to refer to people in the United Kingdom (UK) who identify with the cultures and ethnicities of East and Southeast Asia.

Contents

According to organisations who uses this term, this includes Brunei, Cambodia, China, Timor-Leste, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Korea (North and South), Laos, Macau, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam. [1] [2]

Introduction

The term East and Southeast Asian has emerged in a UK context where the category 'Asian' is predominantly used to refer to those from a South Asian background. [3] It has been adopted to replace the derogatory racialised term 'Oriental'. [4] [5] The term has gained currency following the outbreak of COVID-19 [6] [7] which led to a rise in anti-Asian racial violence [8] and the creation of a number of groups that have organised under the ESEA term. [9] [10] [11] However, pan-ethnic mass mobilisation among East and Southeast Asians in the UK has longer histories – such as Mulan Theatre, New Earth Theatre (formerly Yellow Earth Theatre) and BEATS (British East & South East Asians in the Screen & Stage Industry) in the arts. [4] [12]

A 2020 pilot study of East and Southeast Asian people in the United Kingdom found that close to 95% of respondents identify or feel comfortable with the term British East and Southeast Asian (BESEA) or East and Southeast Asian (ESEA) to describe their identity. [13] In a 2021 article exploring an East and Southeast Asian identity in the Britain, Diana Yeh describes ESEA as a 'pan-Asian' political identity and alliance which has grown out of wider anti-racist organising in Britain. [4]

The term East and Southeast Asian was used regularly by personalities, institutions and media reports in relation to discrimination and racism during the COVID-19 pandemic. [14] [15] [16] [17] MP Sarah Owen referred to the term ESEA in parliamentary debates in 2020, [18] while the UK Government condemned attacks on ESEA communities in its response to a petition on the UK Parliament Petition Website which called for more funds to support victims of COVID-19 racism and anti-racism programmes. [19] Academic communities have also discussed this term including studies on COVID-related racism [20] [21] and discussion panels on the experiences of ESEA with discrimination and racism. [22] In 2021, a #StopESEAHate GoFundMe campaign was launched with support from public personalities such as actors Gemma Chan, Benedict Wong and Henry Golding. [23] [24]

Groups which use the term

The term ESEA is used in the names and mission statements of several organisations and initiatives such as:

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 "ESA Scotland". ESA Scotland. Retrieved 2022-09-16.
  2. ↑ "Yellow Earth Theatre". Yellow Earth Theatre. Retrieved 2022-09-16.
  3. ↑ Aspinall, P. J. (2003-06-01). "Who is Asian? A category that remains contested in population and health research". Journal of Public Health. 25 (2): 91–97. doi:10.1093/pubmed/fdg021. ISSN   1741-3842. PMID   12848395.
  4. 1 2 3 Yeh, Diana (2021). "Becoming British East Asian and Southeast Asian". British Journal of Chinese Studies (11). doi: 10.51661/bjocs.v11i0.131 .
  5. ↑ "Rallying banners: How did the terms 'ESEA' and 'Asian American' take root?". besea.n. Retrieved 2022-09-16.
  6. ↑ "East and Southeast Asians: Documenting a Category in the Making". Public Data Lab. Retrieved 2022-10-01.
  7. ↑ Bao, Hongwei (2021-09-07). "Envisioning and Enacting a Pan-Asian Political Identity: The Cultural Politics of the First 'Stop Asian Hate UK' Protests". The Sociological Review. doi: 10.51428/tsr.crwi5533 . S2CID   239654703.
  8. ↑ "Hate Crime Data". End Violence and Racism Against ESEA Communities. Retrieved 2022-09-16.
  9. ↑ "Network | ESEA Online Community Hub". ESEA Community Hub. Retrieved 2022-09-16.
  10. ↑ "Map of ESEA Organisations". End Violence and Racism Against ESEA Communities. Retrieved 2022-09-16.
  11. ↑ Chan, Emily (22 January 2023). "How ESEA Sisters Found Community Amid A Wave Of Anti-Asian Hate". British Vogue . Retrieved 22 January 2023.
  12. ↑ "B E A T S". wearebeats.org.uk. Retrieved 2022-09-15.
  13. ↑ Bao, Hongwei (July 20, 2021). "A pilot study on East and Southeast Asian (ESEA) people's experience of racism and hate crime in the UK during the COVID-19 pandemic". Centre for Contemporary East Asian Cultural Studies.
  14. ↑ "How the UK's East and South-East Asian communities are fighting COVID-related violence". openDemocracy. Retrieved 2022-09-16.
  15. ↑ Tsjeng, Zing (September 27, 2021). "'We Want to Share Our Joy' – The Women Behind the UK's First ESEA Heritage Month". Vice. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
  16. ↑ Phillips, Ronke (October 7, 2021). "Covid racism fuels 80% rise in hate crimes against east and south east Asians in London". ITV News. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
  17. ↑ Mohdin, Aamna (August 9, 2022). "UK helpline launched for east and south-east Asian victims of racism". The Guardian. Retrieved September 16, 2022.
  18. ↑ Owen, Sarah (July 22, 2020). Hate Crimes: South and East Asian Communities. Hansard Volume 678. Retrieved September 16, 2022.
  19. ↑ "Voice ESEA - Petition". Voice ESEA. Retrieved 2022-09-16.
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  23. ↑ Iqbal, Nosheen (May 9, 2021). "Celebrities unite to back #StopAsianHate campaign". The Guardian. Retrieved September 16, 2022.
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  29. ↑ "ABOUT US". CARG. Retrieved 2022-09-16.
  30. ↑ "Ways to access support for ESEA racism – China Exchange". 17 March 2021. Retrieved 2022-09-16.
  31. ↑ "Home". daikon* zine. Retrieved 2022-09-16.
  32. ↑ "Don't Call Me Oriental". Don'tCallMeOriental. Archived from the original on 2022-09-03. Retrieved 2022-09-16.
  33. ↑ "East and Southeast Asians for Labour". East and Southeast Asians for Labour. Retrieved 2022-10-26.
  34. ↑ "ESA.NE". ESA.NE. Retrieved 2022-09-16.
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  36. ↑ "End Violence and Racism Against ESEA Communities". End Violence and Racism Against ESEA Communities. Retrieved 2022-09-16.
  37. ↑ "ESEA Archives Book Club (@esea.archives) • Instagram photos and videos". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 2022-09-16.
  38. ↑ "esea contemporary". esea contemporary. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  39. ↑ Chow, Vivienne (9 January 2023). "A Prominent Asian Art Center in the U.K. Drops 'Chinese' From Its Name Amid Growing Geopolitical Tensions". Artnet. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  40. ↑ "ESEA Green Lions (@esea.green.lions) • Instagram photos and videos". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 2023-01-22.
  41. ↑ "Green Lunar New Year". Museum of the Home. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
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