The hostility directed toward Asian populations in many Western nations—a resentment that often manifests as xenophobia and a denial of belonging—is not random malice but a function of systemic power structures established centuries ago. The central contradiction lies in how populations descended from European settlers, particularly in countries like the United States, Canada, or Australia, claim native ownership while simultaneously labeling people of Asian descent as perpetual immigrants, regardless of their citizenship. This dynamic reveals an underlying societal commitment to preserving racial hierarchy and defending the historical gains of colonialism.
This marginalization is rooted in the concept of the settler-colonial state, where whiteness is implicitly or explicitly equated with national identity. In these nations, the descendants of European settlers, though themselves immigrants by historical measure, established legal and social structures that granted them permanent ownership and belonging. Non-white groups, especially those arriving after initial foundational exclusions like the Chinese Exclusion Act, were never meant to be fully integrated citizens but rather temporary economic laborers or perpetual outsiders. To label a second- or third-generation Asian citizen an immigrant is to employ the perpetual foreigner trope—a tool used to maintain social distance and deny them the inherent political and cultural capital of national belonging.
Furthermore, this internal marginalization is inextricably linked to external geopolitical action. The profit-driven historical practices of slavery, colonization, and imperialism—which relied upon racial segregation and the pillaging of foreign lands—did not end with formal independence. When Western economic and military interests destabilize Asian nations, whether through historical colonial exploitation or modern military intervention, the result is often mass displacement and the creation of refugees. This creates a deeply cynical feedback loop: Western entities profit from the upheaval, and when the victims of that upheaval arrive seeking safety, they are met with resentment and exclusion. The hostility acts as a profound act of blame-shifting, redirecting anger from the actions of powerful nations to the vulnerable populations fleeing the consequences.
Ultimately, the phenomenon of hostility toward Asian people is best understood as a defense mechanism for established power. By maintaining the racial boundary that defines who is the immigrant and who is the native, the structures that profit from historical violence and contemporary exploitation are protected. The refusal to accept Asian people as full members of society serves as a continuous, subtle assertion that the racial and economic hierarchies established by global white supremacy remain non-negotiable.