Asian American / Asian Research Institute
The City University of New York
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
Mingmei Yip will discuss her new novel, Secret of a Thousand Beauties, illustrated with slides showing masterpieces of Chinese embroidery rarely seen outside Chinese museums. Set against the vibrant and intrigue-laden backdrop of 1930s China, Mingmei Yip’s enthralling novel explores one woman’s defiant pursuit of independence. Dr. Yip will also discuss what women’s crafts reveal … Read more
Dr. Theodore S. Gonzalves will discuss his next book project focusing on the history of a record label, Paredon Records, which released 50 albums of what is essentially (but all too often poorly categorized as) protest music, between 1970 and 1985. The label’s founders were U.S. activists and artists who initially were inspired by the Cuban revolution’s commitment to supporting the work of politically committed singer-songwriters from Latin America. Barbara Dane and Irwin Silber expanded that initial geographic focus to include LPs from Asia (the Philippines, China, Vietnam, Thailand), Africa (Angola), the middle east, and even radical songs and music from Europe (the UK, Ireland, and Greece) and the United States.
This talk investigates the history of the first known photograph of Muslim women in the U.S. Taken in 1923, the photo features four African American Muslim women in the Bronzeville neighborhood of Chicago—at the time known as the “Black Metropolis”—who had converted to Islam through the Ahmadiyya movement, a South Asia-based missionary sect. Through an … Read more