On many forms in the UK where ethnicity needs to be ticked, the space for East and South East Asia is 'Chinese or Any Other Asian'.

This represents a shameful sweeping together of a vastly varied heritage and experience. East and South East Asian people have lived and worked in the UK for centuries, fought for the British Army in both world wars, have influenced British culture through food, writing, music and art in a multitude of ways. And yet this influence is often overlooked, and even ignored.

The same goes for the unique form of racism experienced by people of ESEA heritage. ESEA women are exoticized and sexualised, Asian food is mocked as unhealthy and our restaurants as dirty, our culture is appropriated, we are assumed to be the nanny of our mixed-race children, and we are blamed for the Covid-19 pandemic. All of this is often dismissed or downplayed because of the 'model minority' myth.

For the first time, author Anna Sulan Masing addresses these issues in a comprehensive way. She explores what it means to be East and South East Asian in Britain today, and celebrates the multiple elements and varied experiences that make up ESEA identity. Powerful, moving and illuminating, this will be a must-read for anyone interested in exploring the make-up of our multicultural society.

'Vital reading, but also vital in the truest sense - real, alive, full of humanity, interrogatory, empathetic, energising' Claire Kohda, author of WOMAN, EATING

About the Author
Dr Anna Sulan Masing is a writer, poet & academic based in London. She is the co-founder and EIC of Sourced, a public research project, and of Cheese: The Magazine of Culture. Anna is one half of podcast Voices At The Table and co-founder of communications agency A+F Creative.

Reviews
'Gave me company in some of my feelings that I've felt alone with for years, if not my whole life...vital reading, but also vital in the truest sense - real, alive, full of humanity, interrogatory, empathetic, energising' * Claire Kohda, author of WOMAN, EATING *
An important, vital, and illuminating read. It deserves to be widely shared and read for its incredibly well-researched, personal, and direct exploration of society, racism, culture, food, the hypersexualisation of ESEA women, and gendered violence. Some parts are difficult to read, while others are eye-opening. Anna's writing is razor-sharp and honest. It's relatable and it made me re-think how I present myself, rewired my brain on the language I use, and inspired me to think beyond myself and how I can uplift my community and those around me. A true must-read. * Angela Hui, author of Takeaway: Stories from a Childhood Behind the Counter *



Book Information
ISBN 9781399606653
Author Anna Sulan Masing
Format Hardback
Page Count 240
Imprint Weidenfeld & Nicolson
Publisher Orion Publishing Co