Success Won't Save Us

Success Won't Save Us considers the dual reality that Asian Americans must contend with in the United States: they are both celebrated for their achievements and subjected to racialized violence. They face obstacles as minorities but also have held prominent positions within a federal administration accused of spreading white nationalism. For Pawan Dhingra, these two narratives are intimately and necessarily linked. The conditions that produce xenophobic attacks against Asian Americans also facilitate their upward mobility and social prestige. Dhingra argues that the Asian American experience must be understood within a system of white supremacy and racial capitalism. Instead of simply fighting anti-Asian racism, he advocates for rethinking and reconstructing the institutions that educate about race, such as schools and museums. Dhingra also offers practical methods and approaches for transforming education, politics, and the economy to fight against racism.