Asian American / Asian Research Institute
The City University of New York
Prof. Aleah Ranjitingh will present her research on Chinese-Caribbean immigrants in the United States, and the ways in which they understand self in terms of race and ethnicity.
Prof. Francisco Delgado will read and discuss his novella, On Remembering My Friends, My First Job, and My Second-Favorite Weezer CD (TRP: The University Press of SHSU, July 2025).
Co-editor Rose Kim will discuss the origins of the book and read from her chapter, “Twenty Years at CUNY: A Political Coming-of-Age.” Prof. Kim will be joined by contributor Linda Luu who will read from their chapter, “Resistance Everywhere We Went: The Fight for Asian American Studies at CUNY.”
Based on her CUNY FORUM essay, sociologist Prema Kurien argues that understandings of race in India continue to influence the ways in which Indians and South Asians carry the baggage of racialized colonial ideas intertwined with notions around caste hierarchy and the realities of different linguistic groups in India.
The Asian American / Asian Research Institute is delighted to receive a $40,000 grant from the CUNY Black, Race and Ethnic Studies Initiative (BRESI) to support our work. Over the next year, BRESI funding will support AAARI’s work to develop and institutionalize Asian American/Asian Studies (AA/AS) infrastructure at CUNY, as well to foster Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community-building and leadership among CUNY faculty, staff, and students.
Prof. Catherine Ma will present on how the struggles and triumphs of Asian Americans can provide undergraduate students with a multicultural perspective to better understand structural racism, and offer examples for professors to engage their classes with difficult concepts related to racism and discrimination. Incorporating aspects of Asian American Studies (AAS) can be a valuable tool in transforming not only how students learn but also how professors teach.