Racism, Xenophobia, and Nationalism

Our Missing Hearts explores how nationalism, racism, and xenophobia can become ingrained into the government and create a dystopian society. Through its excavation of the social and political Crisis that fueled unrest and racism in a futuristic America, the book demonstrates how divisive these evil forces can be. Margaret explains how racist people, refusing to fully understand the economics of the Crisis, “search[ed] for someone to blame” for their troubles and turned to a “China, that perilous, perpetual yellow menace” (161). The use of the word “perpetual” reflects how racism and anti-Asian sentiment has been an ever-present, recurring force in American history. The Crisis builds on this real-life historical cycle by showing its logical culmination in a world where racism towards Asian people is normalized and built into the county’s laws. This represents Ng’s reflections on a hypothetical but possible future...