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Asian Americans and U.S. Law
Resource 3 . 7

(2.5 min listen) ‎Hidden Brain: What Is Normal? (on the connotation of "Mongols")

Apple Podcast, April 8, 2024

Marina Hsieh

Until the late 20th century, people with Down syndrome were often referred to as "Mongoloids", or as afflicted with "Mongolism", "Mongolian idiocy", or "Mongolian imbecility". Anthropolist Tom Pearson's explanation of the racialized origins of these labels provides some context for the Court's understanding of "Mongols" in the explicitly racial undertaking of the cases we're reading. 

Listen to the clip at minutes 28:59 - 31:40.

(2.5 min listen) ‎Hidden Brain: What Is Normal? (on the connotation of "Mongols")

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