Asian American / Asian Research Institute
The City University of New York
How does Asian American identity shift or expand when considered in a queer context? What contradictions and conflicts arise? We will explore the intersection between queer and Asian American identities through the personal narratives told both in front and behind the camera in Andrew Ahn’s film work. Through the process of filmmaking, Ahn strives to … Read more
Filipino visual artist, Jun-Jun Sta. Ana will discuss the digital exploration of identity and perception through photography-based imagery, that is either replicated or embellished with found images and texts, that show glimpses of his 1st generation Asian-American identity, background, culture and spirituality. Jun-Jun’s recent work includes a series of portraits of Chicago men, found and enlisted … Read more
Mr. Edward Ma will share some of his experiences as long-standing volunteer in Manhattan’s Chinatown. Through community participation, Mr. Ma has gradually developed a sense of self-fulfillment with the conceptualization of Chinatown’s community democracy. All of his volunteer work has been aimed at the enhancement of justice, equality, as well as the quality of life … Read more
Typically viewed as a staple of childhood life in East Asia, cram schools are private educational institutions offering additional academic instruction during non-school hours. Over the past few decades, hundreds if not thousands of Asian American-run cram schools have been established throughout the United States, proliferating across urban areas particularly in Asian American enclaves. Despite this recent boom of Asian American cram schools, there has been very little research that examines how these educational sites affect the academic and identity development of youth.
Based on Ravi Kalia’s latest publication, Gandhinagar, this presentation traces India’s efforts to establish its twentieth-century architectural identity. Kalia explains that Gandhinagar, the capital of Gujarat in western India, became a battleground for the competing ideals that had surfaced during the building of Chandigarh and Bhubaneswar. Exploring the impact of modernist architecture on India as … Read more
This presentation is set against the backdrop of neo-liberal policies of economic reform instituted in India in 1991. I examine the decade of the 1990s as a period of dramatic change from prior decades of Independent India. I suggest that with the opening of the Indian economy in conjunction with the privatization of television the … Read more