To better understand a democracy, it's important to listen to those at its margins, according to Indiana University South Bend Assistant Professor Chenyu Li.
"When they are at the margin, they see the limitations," Li said Thursday during IU South Bend's Pop-Up University lecture series. "They see the power relationship. Compared to someone who [was] born and raised in the democracy, they may see the democracy or they may see their society as the all-encompassing truth."
He interviewed 12 college students who’d moved to the U.S. from China when they were younger. Many reported feeling conflicted about their identity, due, in part, to the tension between the two countries, which became more pronounced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some saw America not as a place to belong, but as a platform where people from other countries go for economic opportunity. Some also felt pressure to choose one country over another, even though they’d rather stay neutral.
Li argued that not choosing sides can be powerful, rather than passive. “They are calling for a more nuanced and complex understanding of both countries, which is missing in here, both on China-based social media platforms and in U.S. social studies,” Li said.
Li said civic education needs to go beyond just voting, to include the experiences of recent immigrants. "When we look at what students learn about immigration, what I heard from my students from Indiana, they said they learned about Ellis Island, and that’s the last thing they learned about immigrants," Li explained. "But for many Asian immigrants, they did not enter the U.S. through Ellis Island."
Li said when he taught high school, he had his immigrant students create their own definitions of democracy and give their own grades to leaders and societies. He also believes it’s important to help students navigate what they’re seeing on social media.
Indiana University is a financial supporter of WVPE.
