Stereotypes of East Asians in the Western world

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Stereotypes of East Asians are ethnic stereotypes found in Western societies. Stereotypes of East Asians, like other ethnic stereotypes, are often manifest in a society's media, literature, theater and other creative expressions. In many instances, media portrayals of East Asians often reflect a dominant Eurocentric perception rather than realistic and authentic depictions of true cultures, customs and behaviors. However, these stereotypes have mainly negative repercussions for East Asians and East Asian immigrants in daily interactions, current events, and governmental legislation. East Asians have experienced discrimination and have been victims of hate crimes related to their ethnic stereotypes, as it has been used to reinforce xenophobic sentiment.

Orientalism, mysticism and exoticism

According to Edward Said, orientalism refers to the manner in which the West interprets or comes to terms with their experiences and encounters with the foreign or unfamiliar Orient, or the East. Said claimed that "the Orient" was a European invention to denote East Asia as a place of exoticism, romance, and remarkable experiences and also as a concept to contrast (commonly negatively) against Western civilization.Said, Edward. Orientalism. New York: Vintage, 1978, p. 1-2.

The effects of orientalism in Western cultures includes the "othering" of East Asians and...
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