American Peril - The Violent History of Anti-Asian Racism

This probing account shines a new light on the problem of anti-Asian violence and inspires us to build lasting solidarity.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, racist demagoguery fomented a campaign of terror against Asian Americans. But these attacks were part of a much longer pattern that made anti-Asian racism integral to the outbreak of white supremacist, misogynist, and colonial violence across 175 years of U.S. history. Written in the radical spirit of Howard Zinn, American Peril represents the culmination of thirty-five years of study and activism by award-winning scholar Scott Kurashige.

From the lynching of Asian immigrants during the exclusion era to the U.S. military's slaughter of Asian civilians, the book connects domestic and global events that have been erased from the official record. Going beyond victimhood, it traces the rise of Asian American community protest and activism in response to the 1982 murder of Vincent Chin and other overlooked tragedies. While many have worked to legislate and prosecute hate crimes, Kurashige argues that hope lies in grassroots activism for multiracial solidarity.

About the author

Scott Kurashige is author of The Shifting Grounds of Race: Black and Japanese Americans in the Making of Multiethnic Los Angeles and coauthor, with Grace Lee Boggs, of The Next American Revolution: Sustainable Activism for the Twenty-First Century.

Product details

• Authors: Scott Tadao Kurashige
• Publisher: University Presses
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Release: 13.03.2026
• EAN: 9780520424777
• ISBN: 978-0-520-42477-7
• No. of pages: 344
• Subjects: Non-fiction book > History > Miscellaneous; USA, Ethnic Studies, History: specific events & topics, HISTORY / United States / General, Political activism, Social discrimination & inequality, United States of America, USA, Violence in society, Ethnic minorities & multicultural studies, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Race & Ethnic Relations, Black & Asian Studies, Relating to Asian American people, Violence, intolerance and persecution in history, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Activism & Social Justice, Political activism / Political engagement, Racism and racial discrimination / Anti-racism, Social discrimination and social justice, Ethnic studies / Ethnicity, HISTORY / Asian American & Pacific Islander