Asian people
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2008-07-05T01:02:47Z
Dark Tea
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removed the word "yet" because the inclusion of the word "yet" makes it sound like Central Asians will necessarily lobby to be included as racially Asian.
{{pp-semi-vandalism|small=yes}}
{{race}}
'''Asian people''',<ref>"[http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/Asian Asian]". ''[[Merriam-Webster]]'s Online Dictionary.</ref> '''Asiatic'''<ref name="MESH"/> or '''Asian Continental Ancestry Group'''<ref name="MESH">United States National Library of Medicine. Medical Subject Headings. 2004. November 17, 2006.[http://www.nlm.nih.gov/cgi/mesh/2004/MB_cgi?mode=&term=Asian+Continental+Ancestry+Group&field=entry]</ref> is a [[demonym]] for people from [[Asia]]. However, the use of the term varies by country and person, often referring to people from a particular [[region]] or [[subregion]] of Asia.<ref>Aspinall, Peter J. Oxford Journals. Journal of Public Health. 2003. [[October 26]] [[2006]]. [http://jpubhealth.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/25/2/91]</ref><ref>Lee, Sandra S. Mountain, Joanna. Barbara, Koening A. The Meanings of Race in the New Genomics: Implications for Health Disparities Research. Yale University. 2001. [[October 26]] [[2006]]. [http://www.yale.edu/yjhple/volume_1/pdf/033%20(koenig).pdf]</ref> Though it may be based on residence, it is also often considered a "[[Race (classification of human beings)|racial group]]"<ref name="USCensus2000Asian">Barnes, Jessica S. and Bennett, Claudett E. The Asian Population:2000. 2002. [[September 1]] [[2006]]. [http://www.census.gov/prod/2002pubs/c2kbr01-16.pdf#search=%22Asian%20Census%20PDF%22]</ref> or an [[ethnic group]].<ref name=StatUK />
In the [[United States]], [[Canada]], and [[Australia]], the term refers most commonly to people of predominantly [[East Asia]]n, [[South Asia]]n, and [[Southeast Asia]]n ancestry; however in the [[United Kingdom]] and [[Anglophone]] [[Africa]], the term refers most commonly to [[South Asia]]ns.<ref>Color Q World. Clarifying the Definition of Asian. 2005. [[October 1]] [[2006]]. [http://www.colorq.org/PetSins/article.asp?y=2005&m=5&x=5_7]</ref><ref name=Oxford1>''[[Oxford English Dictionary|The New Oxford Dictionary of English]].'' 2001. New York: Oxford University Press.</ref> In other countries, the term is applied to all people from Asia in general. In the US, however, [[Middle East]]ern and [[Central Asia]]n people are usually not considered Asian peoples.<ref name=SharonLee >Lee, Sharon M. Population Reference Bureau. Asian Americans Diverse and Growing. 2006. [[September 10]] [[2006]]. [http://www.prb.org/Template.cfm?Section=Data_by_Country&template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=9862#search=%22Middle%20East%20%22is%20not%20asian%22%22]</ref>
Regardless of these regional definitions, some people insist that anyone from Asia is logically Asian.{{Fact|date=November 2007}}{{Who|date=December 2007}}<ref>[http://humani.st/asians-and-natural-language-evolution/ Humani.st → Asians and Natural Language Evolution<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
==Definitions by country==
===Korea and Japan===
As early as 1920, [[Japan]]ese and [[Koreans|Korean]] elites had a conception of Asia as the civilization of the [[Eastern world|East]] in contrast to [[Europe]].<ref name=Menon>Menon, Sridevi. Duke University. "Where is West Asia in Asian America?Asia and the Politics of Space in Asian America." 2004. April 26, 2007. http://socialtext.dukejournals.org/cgi/reprint/24/1_86/55.pdf</ref>
===Malaysia and Singapore===
In [[Malaysia]] and [[Singapore]], their three largest ethnic groups, [[Malays (ethnic group)|Malays]], [[China|Chinese]], and [[India]]ns, are all considered Asian.<ref>[http://www.ifla2007.com/msia.html 44th IFLA 2007 World Congress - Malaysia -Truly Asia]</ref><ref>[http://www.halls.md/bmi/singapore.htm The paradox of low body mass index and high body fat percentage among Chinese, Malays and Indians in Singapore]</ref>
===United States===
{{main|Asian American|Racial classification of Indian Americans}}
Earlier Census forms from 1980 and before listed particular Asian ancestries as separate groups along with ''White'' and ''Black or Negro''.<ref>[http://usa.ipums.org/usa/voliii/items1980.shtml 1980 Census: Instructions to Respondents], republished by Integrated Public Use Microdata Series, Minnesota Population Center, University of Minnesota at www.ipums.org Accessed 19 Nov 2006.</ref> Previously, Asian Americans were classified as "other". <ref name=GordonLee>Lee, Gordon. Hyphen Magazine. "The Forgotten Revolution." 2003. January 28, 2007.[http://www.hyphenmagazine.com/features/issues/summer03/theforgottenrevolution.php]</ref> But the 1980 census marked the first general analyses of Asians as a group, combining several individual ancestry groups into "Asian or Pacific Islander." By the 1990 census, ''Asian or Pacific Islander (API)'' was included as an explicit category, although respondents had to select one particular ancestry.<ref>[http://usa.ipums.org/usa/voliii/items1990.shtml 1990 Census: Instructions to Respondents], republished by Integrated Public Use Microdata Series, Minnesota Population Center, University of Minnesota at www.ipums.org Accessed 19 Nov 2006.</ref><ref>Reeves, Terrance Claudett, Bennett. United States Census Bureau. Asian and Pacific Islander Population: March 2002. 2003. September 30, 2006.</ref> <ref>http://www.census.gov/prod/2003pubs/p20-540.pdf#search=%22asian%20definition%20difference%22</ref>
{{Regions-Asia.png|float=right}}
The [[Oxford English Dictionary]], states that ''Asian'' is used in North America to refer to people ethnically from [[East Asia]] like [[China]], [[Japan]], [[Korea]], etc. This lags behind the US government definition and general usage in many parts of the US.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.askoxford.com/concise_oed/asian?view=get|title=Asian|publisher=AskOxford.com|accessdate=2007-09-29}}</ref><ref>http://www.aasp.cornell.edu/courses.php Cornell Asian American Studies</ref> The US Census Bureau definition includes people from [[Southeast Asia]] and the [[Indian subcontinent]]. In 1930 and 1940, Indian Americans were a separate category, ''Hindu'', and in 1950 and 1960, they were classified as ''Other Race'', and in 1970, they were classified as ''White''. Since 1980, Indians, and all other South Asians, have been classified as part of the [[Race (United States Census)|Asian race]]<ref>Campbell Gibson and Kay Jung, [http://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0076.html Historical Census Statistics On Population Totals By Race, 1790 to 1990, and By Hispanic Origin, 1970 to 1990, For Large Cities And Other Urban Places In The United States] Working Paper no. 76 (2005); see footnote 6 in paper</ref>. Professor Madhulika Khandelwal, while serving on the National Board of Asian-American Studies, accredits Indian American activism as the catalyst for the 1980s U.S. Census re-classification of Indians.[http://way.net/sawa/desiaspora/02conf.html]. Respondents can also report more specific ancestry, such as [[Chinese American|Chinese]], [[Taiwanese American|Taiwanese]], [[Filipino American|Filipino]], [[Korean American|Korean]], [[Japanese American|Japanese]], [[Malaysian American|Malaysian]], [[Indonesian American|Indonesian]], [[Vietnamese American|Vietnamese]], [[Pakistani American|Pakistani]], [[Thai American|Thai]], [[Cambodian American|Khmer]], [[Laotian American|Laotian]], [[Indian American|Asian-Indian]], and so on, including "Other Asian". Someone reporting these ancestries but no race will be classified as "Asian". [[Turkish American]]s were the targets of anti-Asian hysteria during the "yellow race crisis".<ref>Arab American Institute. Not Quite White:Race Classification and the Arab American Experience. 1997. [[September 29]] [[2006]]. [http://www.aaiusa.org/foundation/355/not-quite-white]</ref> Unlike South Asians Middle Eastern Americans and Central Asian Americans have not lobbied to be included as Asians by the [[Race (United States Census)|US Census]].<ref>Arab American Institute. Not Quite White:Race Classification and the Arab American Experience. 1997. [[September 29]] [[2006]]. [http://www.aaiusa.org/foundation/355/not-quite-white]</ref>
However, some Asian American organizations do include Central Asia and West Asia/Middle East in their scope. <ref>[http://www.asianamerican.net/ Asian American Net<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>[http://www.utasiansonline.com/newlayout/apac/?pg=organization UTAsiansOnline.com - APAC - Organization<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
According to Sharon M. Lee in her 1998 publication, for many non-Asian Americans in the United States (in 1998) Asian American means [[Oriental]], [[Chinese American]] or [[Japanese American]]. This is due to the Chinese and Japanese immigrants being the first Asian immigrants into the United States.<ref name=SharonLee /> Today, with the increasing demographic of [[Korean American]]s, [[South Asian American]]s and [[Southeast Asian American]]s the definition among United States citizens of who is Asian American is expanding.<ref>Lee, Sharon M. Population Reference Bureau. Asian Americans Diverse and Growing. 2006. [[September 10]] [[2006]]. [http://www.prb.org/Template.cfm?Section=Data_by_Country&template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=9862#search=%22Middle%20East%20%22is%20not%20asian%22%22]</ref>
===United Kingdom===
{{main|British Asian}}
In the [[United Kingdom]], the term "Asian", though it can refer to the continent of Asia as a whole,<ref>Color Q World. Clarifying the Definition of Asian. 2005. [[October 1]] [[2006]]. [http://www.colorq.org/PetSins/article.asp?y=2005&m=5&x=5_7]</ref> is more commonly associated with people of [[South Asia]]n origin, particularly [[India]]ns, [[Pakistan]]is, [[Bangladesh]]is and [[Sri Lanka]]ns.<ref>British Sociological Association. Equality and Diversity. Language and the BSA:Ethnicity & Race. 2005. [[October 26]]. [http://www.britsoc.co.uk/NR/rdonlyres/4E70B7F7-58A1-43AB-A414-77F929A954D2/534/EqualityandDiversity_LanguageandtheBSA_RaceMar05.doc]</ref> The UK usage of the term "Asian" is reflected in the "ethnic group" section of [[United Kingdom Census 2001|UK census forms]], which treat [[British Asian|"Asian"]] and [[British Chinese|"Chinese"]] as separate (see [[British Asian]]).<ref name=StatUK>National Statistics. Ethnicity. 2005. [[August 27]] [[2006]]. [http://www.statistics.gov.uk/CCI/nugget.asp?ID=764&Pos=3&ColRank=1&Rank=176]</ref> Most respondents to the UK 2001 Census of non-Chinese East Asian and Southeast Asian descent chose to write-in their ethnicity in the "Other Ethnic Group" category rather than the "Other Asian" category, reflecting the association of the word Asian in the UK with South Asian.<ref>Gardener, David. Who are the Other Ethnic Groups. 2005. [[October 27]] [[2006]]. [http://www.statistics.gov.uk/articles/nojournal/other_ethnicgroups.pdf]</ref>
The United Kingdom, Anglophone Africa and Anglophone Caribbean are places in the Western world where the word "Asian" is used primarily to identify people from the [[Indian subcontinent]]. Due to the term's contested definition in British English, the use of the term "South Asian" is used for clarity in discussions in the United Kingdom on colonialism, discrimination, and migration<ref>Aspinall, Peter J. Oxford Journals. Journal of Public Health. 2003. [[October 26]] [[2006]]. [http://jpubhealth.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/25/2/91]</ref> or when the content of its parameters may become mistakenly conflated with those of East Asian descent. <ref>British Sociological Association. Equality and Diversity. Language and the BSA:Ethnicity & Race. 2005. [[October 26]]. [http://www.britsoc.co.uk/NR/rdonlyres/4E70B7F7-58A1-43AB-A414-77F929A954D2/534/EqualityandDiversity_LanguageandtheBSA_RaceMar05.doc]</ref>
===Canada===
{{Main|Asian Canadian}}
In Canada, Asian refers to people from the Far East, Southeast Asia,<ref>Asian Canadian. 2000. [[September 29]] [[2006]]. [http://www.asian.ca/community/]</ref> South Asia,<!-- This citation is from a South Asian newspaper based in Canada that uses the term "Asian" to refer to South Asians.--><ref>South Asian Observor. Asians take Longest Route to Enter Spain Illegally. 2006. [[September 29]] [[2006]][http://www.southasianobserver.com/e_paper.php?category_id=1]</ref> and West Asia<ref>'2001 Census Visible Minority and Population Group User Guide' http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census01/Products/Reference/tech_rep/vismin.cfm</ref>. Like the United States, in Canada the term Asian generally refers to the East Asian Canadians since they were the first Asian immigrant groups into Canada.<ref>Aspinall, Peter J. Oxford Journals. Journal of Public Health. 2003. [[October 26]] [[2006]]. [http://jpubhealth.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/25/2/91]</ref>
{{RegionsofAsia-Central.png|float=right}}
===Australia===
{{main|Asian Australian}}
Notably, the [[Australian Census]] includes [[Central Asia]], a region that is often considered to be part of the [[Greater Middle East]].<ref>World Atlas.com The Middle East. [[September 30]] [[2006]]. [http://worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/me.htm]</ref> The [[Census in Australia|Australian Census]] includes four regions of Asia in its official definition. Defined by the 2006–2011 Australian Census, three ''broad groups'' have the word Asian included in their name: [[Central Asia|''Central'']] [[South Asia|''and Southern Asian'']], [[Southeast Asia|''South-East Asian'']] and [[East Asia|''North-East Asian'']]. Russians are classified as ''Southern and Eastern Europeans'' while Middle Easterners are classified as ''North African and Middle Easterners''.<ref>Australian Bureau of Statistics. Australian Standard Classification of Cultural and Ethnic Groups Second Edition. 2005. [[August 20]] [[2006]]. [http://www.ausstats.abs.gov.au/ausstats/subscriber.nsf/0/8D2B70A9563E9970CA257036008072B8/$File/ascceg%202nd%20ed%20classification%20structure.xls]</ref>
===Anglophone Africa and Caribbean===
{{see|Asians in South Africa|Indo-Caribbean}}
In parts of [[anglophone]] [[Africa]], especially [[East Africa]] and [[South Africa]], and in parts of the [[Anglophone Caribbean]], the term "Asian", though it can refer to the continent of Asia as a whole,<ref>Color Q World. Clarifying the Definition of Asian. 2005. [[October 1]] [[2006]]. [http://www.colorq.org/PetSins/article.asp?y=2005&m=5&x=5_7]</ref> is more commonly associated with people of [[South Asia]]n origin, particularly [[India]]ns, [[Pakistan]]is, [[Bangladesh]]is and [[Sri Lanka]]ns.<ref>British Sociological Association. Equality and Diversity. Language and the BSA:Ethnicity & Race. 2005. [[October 26]]. [http://www.britsoc.co.uk/NR/rdonlyres/4E70B7F7-58A1-43AB-A414-77F929A954D2/534/EqualityandDiversity_LanguageandtheBSA_RaceMar05.doc]</ref>
The United Kingdom, Anglophone Africa,<ref>Sinha, Gayatri. Diatribe or art? The Hindu. 2002. [[September 29]] [[2006]]. [http://www.hinduonnet.com/mag/2002/09/01/stories/2002090100340200.htm]</ref> and Anglophone Caribbean are places in the Western world where the word "Asian" is used primarily to identify people from the [[Indian subcontinent]], although in South Africa, Asian can refer to East Asians as well.<ref>University of Maryland. Assessment for Asians in South Africa. 2003. [[September 29]] [[2006]]. [http://www.cidcm.umd.edu/inscr/mar/assessment.asp?groupId=56001]</ref>
===New Zealand===
[[New Zealand|New Zealand's]] census called [[Statistics New Zealand]] defines the Asian to include people of Chinese, Indian, Korean, Filipino, Japanese, Sri Lankan, Cambodian and Thai ancestries.<ref name=StatNewZealand>Statistics New Zealand. Asian people. 2006. December 4, 2006.[http://www.stats.govt.nz/people/communities/asianpeople.htm]</ref>
===Norway===
[[Statistics Norway]] considers people of Asian background to be people from all Asian countries, including [[Turkey]].<ref>{{no icon}} [http://www.ssb.no/vis/english/subjects/02/02/20/innvutv_en/main.html Immigration and emigration<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>{{no icon}} [http://www.ssb.no/vis/samfunnsspeilet/utg/200604/10/art-2006-10-10-01.html SSB: Unge innvandrere i arbeid og utdanning - Er innvandrerungdom en marginalisert gruppe?<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
==Definition by individuals==
{{globalize/USA}}
===Paul Thomas Welty===
Paul Thomas Welty in his book <u>The Asians Their Evolving Heritage</u><ref name=Welty>Welty, Paul Thomas. <u>The Asians Their Evolving Heritage Sixth Edition</u>. New York:Harper & Row Publishers, 1984. ISBN 0-06-047001-1</ref> claims that Asians refer exclusively to people of the "South Asian Subcontinent", "Southeast Asia" and "East Asia" (pp. 21).<ref>"The region called Asia in this book stretches from Pakistan on the west to Japan on the east and from the northern borders of China to the southernmost boundaries of Indonesia."</ref> The staple food of Asians is rice or wheat (pp.30)., but other common foods include barley, millet, corn, sorghum and sweet potatoes. Asian culture has been predominately influenced by the civilizations of India and China and the influence of Islam (pp.54). Asian people frequently live in large family systems often incorporating three generations under one roof, (pp.55). Asians have long valued education and literacy and have lived in societies led by a scholar class (pp. 365).
South Asians have characteristics in common (pp. 61). South Asians are a religious people who share the commonality of having been under [[British Raj|British rule]], (pp. 61). Due to their location between the Middle East, Europe, and other parts of Asia, they have come into contact with various other cultues, making their culture an amalgam of different cultures (pp. 61).
East Asians have characteristics in common (pp. 153). East Asians are connected by the commonality of [[Culture of China|Chinese cultural]] influence as well as [[Indian philosophy]] (pp. 158). East Asians are also mostly [[farmer]]s except for modernized Japan (Welty, pp. 158).
Southeast Asians have characteristics in common (pp. 323). Southeast Asians are influenced by [[Hinduism]], [[Buddhism]], [[Islam]] and [[Confucism]] (pp. 326). Southeast Asians share the family system, poverty, and respect for teachers and learning (pp. 327). Due to the geography of many islands and coastal territory, Southeast Asians have been influenced by Indian, Japanese, Chinese and recently American cultural influences (pp. 329).
===Sudha Ramachandran===
Sudha Ramachandran, writer for the Asia Times, claims that China and India vie for the status of Asia's "''mother civilization''"<ref name=Ramachandran>Ramachandran, Sudha. Asia Times. "India has its own soft power: Buddhism." 2007. July 9, 2007. [http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/IG04Df02.html]</ref>, but Indrani Bagchi who is also a Times Asia writer claims that India is the heart of Asian civilization because it is the origin of [[Buddhism]].<ref name=Ramachandran />
===Keith Lowe===
Dr. Keith Lowe, race-relations expert for the Canadian government,<ref>Ontario Multicultural Association. "Speaker Biography: Dr. Keith Lowe." 2007. July 29, 2007.[http://www.omamo.org/speaker_lowebio.html]</ref> claims that Asian people refer to Central, South, Southeast and East Asians.<ref>Asian Heritage Month. "Credits." 2007. July 29, 2007. [http://asian-heritage-month.org/credits.html]</ref>
==Orientals and the Orient==
The term "[[Oriental]]" (from the Latin word for "Eastern")<ref>Cawley, Kevin. University of Notre Dame. Oriental. 2004. [[September 29]] [[2006]]. [http://www.archives.nd.edu/cgi-bin/lookit.pl?latin=oriental]</ref> was originally used in Europe in reference to the [[Near East]]. It was later extended to the rest of Asia, but came to refer to Northeast Asians and Southeast Asians in the 19th and 20th century US,<ref>Hu, Alan. Model Minority. On Asian and Oriental. 1993. [[September 29]] [[2006]]. [http://www.modelminority.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=183]</ref> where most Asians were Chinese (and later Japanese and Filipino). By the late 20th century, the term had gathered associations in North America with older attitudes now seen as outmoded, and was replaced with the term "Asian" as part of the updating of language concerning [[Social identity|social identities]],<ref>Bartleby.com The American Heritage Book of English Usage. 2005. [[September 1]] [[2006]]. [http://www.bartleby.com/64/C006/007.html]</ref> which critics have derided as [[political correctness]].<ref>Friedman. Haladina. The Politically Correct Handbook. 1992. [[September 1]] [[2006]]. In the UK however since the 'term' Asian is universally assumed to mean South Asian Oriental is regarded as an acceptable term for someone of East Asian descent.[http://webpages.marshall.edu/~hartwel1/humor/misc/politically_correct_handbook.html]</ref> In Europe however use of the term oriental for a east Asian has no negative connotations attached and is commonly used since here 'Asian' is taking to mean a South Asian.
==Marginal Inclusion==
===Russian Federation===
[[Image:Tuvan_Family.jpg|175px|thumb|right|Ethnic Tuvans make up the majority of the population in the [[Tuva Republic]], [[Russia]]]]
Most of [[Russia]]'s huge territory is in Asia, though the majority of its population is in [[Europe]] and ethnically [[Slavic people|Slavic]]. Depending on context, Russian citizens may be considered European or mixed according to their individual ethnic [[nationality]], ancestry, or appearance{{Fact|date=May 2007}}.
The territorial regions of Russia that are in Asia (eg. Irkutsk and Amur) have a significant indigenous population. In the Russian language, minority nationalities such as [[Buryats]], [[Tuvans]], [[Yakuts]] and others are ''Rossiiskiy'' or ''Rossiyane'' (citizens of the Russian Federation regardless of whether they are ethnic [[Russians]]), rather than ''Russkiy'' (which refers to ethnic Russians whether living in the Russian Federation or elsewhere).
The word [[Eurasian]] is also often used to describe Russia's position in the world.
See also [[Transcontinental country|transcontinental nation]]<ref>Russia in Global Affairs. Russia as a European Nation and Its Eurasian Mission. 2005. [[September 30]] [[2006]] [http://eng.globalaffairs.ru/region-globalization/numbers/13/969.html]</ref>. Russians are generally not included in the term "Asian".<ref>American Heritage Book of English Usage. Asian. 1996. [[September 29]] [[2006]]. [http://www.bartleby.com/64/C006/007.html]</ref>
===West Asians===
The name [[Asia]] is probably derived from ancient [[Assyrian language|Assyrian]].<ref>Think Baby Names. Origin and Meaning of the name Asia. 2006. [[September 9]] [[2006]]. [http://www.thinkbabynames.com/meaning/0/Asia]</ref> It therefore originally referred to the regions now called "[[Southwest Asia|West Asia]]" and "[[Central Asia]]", the [[Sinai Peninsula]] to [[Iran|Persia]] and [[Asia Minor]] to [[Arabia]]. To the ancient [[Ancient Greece|Greeks]], Asia usually referred to the [[Persian Empire]], while to the [[Roman Empire|Romans]], [[Asia (Roman province)|Asia]] was a small region or, later, province at the Western end of [[Anatolia]] (now [[Turkey]]).
[[Clovis Maksoud]], Director for the Organization of Global South, argues that the term "Middle East" is a [[Eurocentric]] term denoting the region between Europe and East Asia, because it denies the Middle East's connection with Muslim North Africa.<ref>Katz, Elizabeth. Virginia Law. Democracy in the Middle East. 2006. [[September 9]] [[2006]]. [http://www.law.virginia.edu/html/news/2006_spr/jb_religion.htm]</ref> In English parlance, [[Western Asia]]ns like Turks,Cypriots, and Arabs,<ref>Lee, Sharon M. Population Reference Bureau. Asian Americans Diverse and Growing. 2006. [[September 10]] [[2006]]. [http://www.prb.org/Template.cfm?Section=Data_by_Country&template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=9862#search=%22Middle%20East%20%22is%20not%20asian%22%22]</ref> and the Central Asians of the former Soviet Republics are not referred to as "Asian" by United States government agencies.
The Canadian government uses "West Asian" in its statistics; however people from the Arab countries are counted in a separate "Arab" category. <ref>http://www.statcan.ca/english/research/89-621-XIE/89-621-XIE2007003.pdf</ref> <ref>http://www.google.com/search?q=west+asian+site%3Astatcan.ca</ref>
===Pacific Islanders===
In normal usage Asian does not refer to the people from the [[Pacific Islands]] who are usually called [[Pacific Islanders]].<ref>American Heritage Book of English Usage. Asian. 1996. [[September 29]] [[2006]]. [http://www.bartleby.com/64/C006/007.html]</ref> The term "Asians and Pacific Islanders" or "Asia/Pacific" was used on the 1990 US Census.<ref>Census '90. Asian and Pacific Islanders in the United States. 1990. [[September 1]] [[2006]]. [http://www.census.gov/prod/cen1990/cp3/cp-3-5.pdf#search=%22pacific%20islanders%20%22not%20asian%22%201990%20census%22]</ref> As late as 2001, they were considered by most Americans to be the same racial group as Asians due to a perception of their implicit contrast to "whiteness".<ref>Lee, Sandra S. Mountain, Joanna. Barbara, Koening A. The Meanings of Race in the New Genomics: Implications for Health Disparities Research. Yale University. 2001. [[October 26]] [[2006]]. [http://www.yale.edu/yjhple/volume_1/pdf/033%20(koenig).pdf]</ref> However, in the [[United States 2000 Census|2000 US Census]], many Pacific Islanders did not consider themselves the same [[social identity]] as Asians, and classified themselves separately.
==References==
{{reflist|2}}
==See also==
*[[Afro-Asian]] (African-Asian mixed ancestry)
*[[Amerasian]] — especially the offspring of a U.S. serviceman and an Asian
*[[Asia]] — includes boundaries of the continent.
*[[Asian pride]]
*[[Desi]]
*[[Eurasian (mixed ancestry)|Eurasian]] (European-Asian mixed ancestry)
*[[Hapa]] — Hawaiian term commonly referring to [[Eurasian (mixed ancestry)|Eurasian]]s
*[[Oriental]]
*[[Race and genetics]]
[[Category:Asian people| ]]
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