Point Three - Mirrors of the American Imagination

Eric's third explanation for the lack of scholarship on Asian-American poetry is that Asian-Americans do not occupy a central position in the American imagination in general.

I find this point interesting in that it suggests that the "poetry world" often mimics, or mirrors, the "social world" at large. For example, an argument could go: Historical and present discrimination against women has led to fewer female poets being awarded the Pulitzer Prize and read in K-12 classrooms across the nation.

I would agree that Asian Americans have generally occupied an outsider status vis-a-vis the traditional black/white dichotomy, which helps account for the outsider status of Asian-American poets and poetry vis-a-vis more well-know poets and poetry.