Abstract
Research on textbook representations of minority groups and women have presented two prominent themes. These themes are the lack of representation and misrepresentation through exclusion and stereotypes. Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) women’s representation has been largely absent and misrepresented throughout history textbooks. The purpose of this study is to examine required textbooks within the California State University, Sacramento (CSUS) lower division U.S. history college courses,17A and 17B, for AAPI women representation. Based on Sacramento State Fall 2019 enrollment data, female students at Sacramento State account for 56% (17,436) of the entire student population. AAPI female students represent 51% (3,099) of the entire 5,855 AAPI student population (19% of the total population). This study aims to bridge gaps in AAPI female representation in college U.S. History courses. Critical content analysis (CCA) was used to examine six required U.S. History 17A and 17B textbooks to collect quantitative and qualitative data on Asian American Women representation (Johnson, Mathis, & Short, 2016). For this study, the critical lens was AsianCrit and Critical Race Feminism as it centers AAPI women for analysis. This study focused on AAPI women and the intersections that affect their representation including but not limited to race, ethnicity, and gender. To fairly represent and compare AAPI women, it was also necessary to collect data on AAPI men and gender neutral AAPI representations. The results suggest that not only are the smaller AAPI ethnic groups missing in U.S. history textbooks, but women within those groups continue to lack accurate representation. The textbooks reviewed in this study failed to provide a broad coverage of the female AAPI experience. The text and information lacked substance and detail required to embody the contributions of AAPI women in American History.