Fashion, Identity, and Power in Modern Asia: The Modernization of Dresses and Cultural Cross-dressing

This book project assembles innovative research on the themes of dress reform ca. 1850s-1940s in East Asia. Professor Pyun’s lecture explores Chinese, Japanese, and Korean languages of dress, body, and gender identity in the larger contexts of trade, power, modernization, and socio-political discourses. Essays in this volume illuminate, with an unprecedented scope and from a … Read more

2017 CUNY Conference on Building Coalitions & Coalescing a Pan-Asian/Pacific/American Identity

In the face of such a panoply of identities, forming a pan-Asian/Pacific/American identity has historically proven to be difficult and complicated. AAARI’s conference will explore these challenges and complexities while also identifying and assessing historical instances of successful panethnic coalition building. Ultimately, this conference will provide an intersectional framework and understanding around how APA activists can center frontline leadership and the struggles of the community with which they are standing in solidarity.

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Exploring Queer Asian American Identity in Film

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

Identity and Perception: A Digital Voyage of a Filipino Visual Artist

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

Identity: Community Participation and Self-Realization

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

Interaction and Identity in a New York Asian Cram School

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.

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