American-born Chinese

For other uses, see American-born Chinese (disambiguation).

An American-born Chinese or "ABC" is a stereotype that describes a person born in the United States of Chinese ethnic descent, a category of Chinese American. Many are second-generation (parents who are naturalized U.S. citizens) born after the U.S. Immigration Act of 1965 were free from limits on immigration from East Asia. It can be used as a "compliment" for Chinese who are very knowledgeable about America's culture^{[citation needed]}, or as an insult for Chinese who have "lost their pride" from their parent's country. When used pejoratively, the term serves as a device to discriminate and separate Chinese-Americans as a class different from those born in Chinese speaking countries. However, this sort of categorization oversimplifies the social realities and identities of many Chinese-Americans. It is often overlooked that innumerable Chinese-Americans are still connected to their parents' heritage, and it perhaps too quickly valorizes an attachment to an ancestor culture in favor of assimilation and integration within a new one.

Note that in Australia, this acronym may also be used to refer to Australian Born Chinese.

See also

• Demographics of the United States
• List of Chinese Americans