The City University of New York (CUNY) has a long history of efforts that engage Asian American studies and communities but these activities have rarely been sustained over time. Yet, despite an overall lack of institutionalization, CUNY has been the home to vibrant student activism and organizing, collaborative networks built of scholars and practitioners, and creative interventions made to support Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) students, staff, and faculty across the university and beyond. The Asian American / Asian Research Institute (AAARI) is hosting a day-long symposium on Friday, May 12, 2023, at Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC), to reflect upon the histories of this work, build connection and community, and collectively vision the future possibilities and directions for Asian American studies at CUNY.
Our work in Asian American studies at CUNY takes place in the context of New York City, home to one of the largest and most diverse AAPI communities in the U.S., and made up of groups that have a long history of migration to the U.S. (i.e., Chinese, Indians, Filipinos, Koreans) as well as newer migrant groups (i.e., Nepali, Burmese, Tibetan, Bangladeshi), refugee communities (e.g. Cambodian, Laotian, Vietnamese), and diasporic communities (e.g. Indo-Caribbean). AAPIs are the fastest growing racial/ethnic group in New York City (and the U.S.), currently making up 18% of the population. This demographic shift has been reflected at CUNY, with an increase to 22% of students identifying as Asian.
We invite students, scholars, and/or practitioners, within and outside of CUNY, to share their innovative research and creative works, pedagogical projects, programmatic efforts, models for organizing and activism, and other activities at CUNY that address critical issues in Asian American studies and/or communities. Proposals can take the form of individual presentations, themed panels, roundtable discussions, workshops, or other formats. Each session will be limited to one hour; individual paper presentations will be limited to fifteen minutes.
Submissions can include, but are not limited to:
- Current research/scholarship and creative work in Asian American studies
- CUNY’s relationship to Asian American studies as an academic endeavor: courses, programs, departments and student-led organizing towards these efforts in the past, present, or future
- Teaching and learning of Asian American studies, including pedagogical workshops
- Campus-based activities that engage Asian American studies beyond the classroom
- Issues and needs that concern AAPI CUNY members and communities beyond the university
Extended Submission Deadline: Friday, March 3, 2023
Submit Proposal: Google Form
Co-sponsors (In Formation)
- Borough of Manhattan Community College
- Queens College
- Department of Ethnic and Race Studies at BMCC
- Asian/Pacific/American Institute at NYU
