Asian American / Asian Research Institute
The City University of New York
Alvin Tan will share his experiences on the effective use of community theatre. He will discuss The Necessary Stage’s devising and collaborative methodology, using some plays to illustrate how The Necessary Stage negotiates multiple cultural sensibilities, and the need to educate themselves before embarking on the artistic journey of theatre-making. One of the plays include … Read more
Russell C. Leong, former CUNY Thomas Tam Visiting Professor and current senior editor of international projects for the UCLA Asian American Studies Center, has produced his second picture book after a 50 year hiatus! For Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, Leong will read from his illustrated graphic poem (for adults and youth) based on his … Read more
Award-winning journalist and author Meet Me in Venice, Suzanne Ma will draw parallels between the Chinese experience in Italy and the Chinese-American experience and talk about the unique challenges she faced reporting and researching her book in China and in Europe. She will also tackle some hard questions: Is life better in the West? And … Read more
This talk is based on Dr. Ming Xue’s ethnographic research in Rebgong from 2009 to 2013. In Rebgong, Buddhist thangka painting is one of the major sources of income of local residents. Although thangka was traditionally a painting for religious teaching and practice, the aesthetic and economic value of thangka art has been increasingly recognized by … Read more
The model minority stereotype is a form of racism that targets Asian/Americans, portraying them as consistently hard working and academically successful. Rooted partially in news media portrayal and popular press reinforcement, the model minority stereotype has tremendous societal, ethical, moral, and psychological implications. In his talk, editor Hartlep will discuss Modern Societal Impacts of the … Read more
In the early twentieth century, most Chinese immigrants coming to the United States were detained at the Angel Island Immigration Station in San Francisco Bay. There, they were subject to physical exams, interrogations, and long detentions aimed at upholding the exclusion laws that kept Chinese out of the country. Many detainees recorded their anger and frustrations, … Read more