Description: "Youth Gangs, Racism, and Schooling examines Vietnamese American youth gang formation in Southern California, with an emphasis on the experiences of those heavily involved in the 1990s. Lam traces the genealogy of the Vietnamese American youth gang phenomenon as part of the conflict in Southeast Asia. He describes the consequences of war and migration for youth as well as their racialization as "Asian-American" subjects. Grounded in the critical narratives of three gang members, Lam addresses themes of racism, violence, class struggle, style, and schooling in an era of anti-youth and anti-immigration legislation in the state and nationally. In this dehumanizing context, Lam frames Vietnamese and Southeast American gang members as post-colonial subjects, offering an alternative analysis toward humanization and decolonization"--
Review Quotes:
"Lam's is an analysis that is both timely and urgent. It beckons us to look once more, with greater depth and determination into the complexities of our times, the dehumanization of those deemed expendable within them, and the role of society's institutions in sanctioning and exacerbating these crises." (Kamau Rashid, Educational Studies, January, 2018)
"Using empirical, evidence-based, and informed positions to synthesize the post and contemporary politics of migration, space, and racialization, [Lam's] analysis provides a thought-provoking and stirring viewpoint of humanization and decolonization for teaching and learning." (James Martinez, Teachers College Record, 2017)
"Youth Gangs, Racism, and Schooling is a timely contribution to Asian American studies and educational research." (Rachel Endo, Journal of Asian American Studies, Vol. 20 (2), June, 2017)
"Perhaps Lam's greatest contribution is in combining a critical, liberationist, decolonizing lens which shows the reader how racism is a byproduct of class formation and political economy." (David M. Lee, Multicultural Perspectives, Vol. 18 (4), 2016)
"In Fanonian fashion, Lam reminds us that the subaltern not only speaks but writes back, talks back and researches back in order to humanize the struggle for liberation associated with the U.S. foreign policies and criminalization of youth." (Ezekiel Joubert III, Journal of Southeast Asian American Education and Advancement, Vol. 20 (1), 2016)