ASIAN AMERICAN & DIASPORA STUDIES PROGRAM
Asian Americans, Takeo Rivera posits, cannot escape the model minority figure. Rivera puts forth two pathways through which Asian/American people define their relationship to model minority – and, by extension, form the contours of an uneasy racial identity. The first group he outlines is characterized by a pleasurable attachment to the model minority positionality, embracing the stereotype and rising through U.S. capitalist hierarchies into American-Dream-esque success. The second group takes a stance of self-punishing… read more about Model Minority Masochism: Guest Speaker on the Inescapable Model Minority Figure »
Over a year ago, Naoko Shibusawa, associate professor of History and American Studies at Brown University, published an article entitled “Where is the Reciprocity? Notes on Solidarity from the Field” in the Journal of Asian American Studies. The article put forth a call for racial solidarity across academic disciplines and insisted upon the centrality of Asian American Studies (or even Asian America more broadly) to a full understanding of the United States. Shibusawa drew upon scholarship, anecdotes, and analysis of… read more about Guest Talk Challenges the Entanglement of Deference Politics, White Liberalism and Racialized Power Dynamics in Academia »
The American Studies Association — the oldest and largest scholarly association devoted to the interdisciplinary study of U.S. cultures and histories — announced the recipients of their 2023 awards and prizes. Postdoctoral Associate in Asian American and Diaspora Studies Athia Choudhury received an honorable mention for her dissertation “Gut Cultures: Fat Matter(s) in Genealogies of Health, Nation, and Empire.” In the dissertation, Choudhury conceptualizes the emergence of “health” as a vital dimension to U.S. and Third… read more about Athia Choudhury Receives Honorable Mention From the American Studies Association »
The Medical Humanities and Asian American Studies symposium on September 22, 2023 highlighted a growing field picking at the ways that Asian/American bodies and ideologies are bound up with medical spaces, health, and well-being more generally. It began with a panel, chaired by Emily Rogers (Duke), entitled “Toxicity, Militarism, and Diaspora.” Rachel Lee (UCLA), Cynthia Wu (Indiana U), and Thuy Linh Nguyen Tu (NYU) gave brief talks about the entanglements between war, chemical toxins, and Asian bodies. Lee uses oral… read more about Symposium Highlights Growing Research into Asian American Well-Being »
This past summer, the Supreme Court ruled that affirmative action violates the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment, catalyzing a broad spectrum of conversations about the role that race plays (or should play) in college admissions. Dr. Cheung-Miaw’s brown bag talk last week, entitled “Asian Americans and Affirmative Action: An Activist History,” took on Jameson’s maxim to “always historicize!” pushing against conversations positing affirmative action in a vacuum and gesturing at the complex role that Asian/… read more about Brown Bag Talk on Affirmative Action Addresses Complex Role of Asian American Students »
Happy 5th Anniversary to AADS!! Welcome to the academic year 2023-24, a significant milestone for AADS as we proudly commemorate our 5-year journey as a program. Back in 2018, the inception of AADS was a response to decades of impassioned student activism and resounding calls for the inclusion of Asian American Studies at Duke. This remarkable journey has been made possible by the community of unwavering support, brought together by the collective efforts of students, faculty, staff, and alumni. I am profoundly grateful to… read more about A Letter from the Director: Fall 2023 »
Note: This statement does not reflect admission practices at Duke and draws largely from Prof. Calvin Cheung-Miaw’s research on the history of Asian American Studies. The faculty of the Asian American and Diaspora Studies program disagrees with the recent Supreme Court decision regarding affirmative action. Based on our scholarship and our experience as educators, we unequivocally support race-conscious admissions and believe that affirmative action is an important tool in remedying racial inequality. Asian… read more about Statement on Affirmative Action »
Seven faculty members have been named 2023 Bass Chairs and inducted into the Bass Society of Fellows in recognition of their demonstrated excellence in both undergraduate teaching and research. The group was celebrated Monday evening during a reception at the J.B. Duke Hotel. The chairs were created in 1996 when Anne T. and Robert Bass gave $10 million as a matching gift to encourage Duke alumni, parents and friends to endow the positions. Candidates are nominated by faculty and evaluated by a faculty committee for… read more about Three Trinity Faculty Named 2023 Bass Chairs »
From the Director: It is with great pleasure that we extend our warmest congratulations to David Lee and Miriam Shams-Rainey, the first students to graduate with the AADS minor. AADS recently hosted its first Graduation Dinner at Namu in Durham, where graduating seniors were celebrated by AADS faculty, staff, and members of AASWG (Asian American Studies Working Group). The event also provided an opportunity to recognize the recipients of two newly introduced AADS awards: the AADS Faculty… read more about A Letter from the Director | Spring 2023 »
The annual Undergraduate Research Symposium hosted by the Asian American and Diaspora Studies Program (AADS) at Duke University took place on March 30, 2023, providing a platform for undergraduate students to present their research on topics related to Asian American and Diaspora Studies. The symposium was a culmination of the students' hard work and dedication to their respective research topics. The event drew a diverse audience comprising of students, faculty, and special guests, including Dr. Pawan Dhingra of Amherst… read more about 2023 AADS Undergraduate Research Symposium in Review »
David Lee (T ‘23) is one of the first students to minor in Asian American & Diaspora Studies at Duke. The AADS program started in 2018 and the minor was approved for students for Fall 2022. Its first class graduates this spring. Lee has been involved in student organizing for Asian American Studies since his first year, in spaces where maybe “the real Asian American studies are the friends we made along the way.” He joined the Asian American Studies Working Group (AASWG) and found not only a much-lauded base of… read more about First Cohort of AADS Minors to Graduate in May »
The Friends We Made Along the Way: Interview of Graduating AADS and AASWG Student, David Lee David Lee (T ‘23) has been involved in student organizing for Asian American Studies since they were a freshman, in spaces where maybe “the real Asian American studies are the friends we made along the way.” In AASWG (the Asian American Studies Working Group), he found not only much-lauded base of student investment in Asian American Studies, but also a kind of “political home” rare at Duke. Over the last 20 years, AASWG… read more about The Friends We Made Along the Way: David Lee Interview »
How can scholarship on Asian Americans deepen our understanding of race and immigration in the United States? Keohane Distinguished Visiting Professor Pawan Dhingra made a case for broadening the reach of Asian American studies to involve popular discourse and revise long-held public perceptions. Speaking to a full house of students, faculty and community members, Dhingra said the stereotype of “the model minority” ignores key aspects of American society that opened avenues for Asian American advancement. He used a… read more about Duke Today: Keohane Professor Brings Together UNC and Duke Faculty and Students to Energize Asian American Scholarship on Both Campuses »
One year ago, the Arts and Sciences Council approved the Asian American and Diaspora Studies (AADS) minor. The first of its kind in the American South, the minor is led by Esther Kim Lee, AADS director and professor of theater studies, international comparative studies and history. The minor requiresfour electives and one introductory course — either Introduction to Asian American History or Introduction to Asian American and Diaspora Studies. Lee shared how, after only a year, the program has not only captured national… read more about Duke Chronicle: Duke’s Asian American Diaspora Studies minor nears one-year anniversary »
How can scholarship on Asian Americans deepen our understanding of race and immigration in the United States? Keohane Distinguished Visiting Professor Pawan Dhingra made a case for broadening the reach of Asian American studies to involve popular discourse and revise long-held public perceptions. Speaking to a full house of students, faculty and community members, Dhingra said the stereotype of “the model minority” ignores key aspects of American society that opened avenues for Asian American advancement. He used a… read more about Keohane Professor Brings Together UNC and Duke Faculty and Students to Energize Asian American Scholarship on Both Campuses »
Eileen Cheng-yin Chow, associate professor of the practice in Chinese and Japanese cultural studies, speaking on ABC’s Nightline in the aftermath of the Monterey Park shooting, about the important role senior centers serve in Asian-American communities. You can view the interview here. read more about Eileen Cheng-yin Chow speaking on ABC’s Nightline in the aftermath of the Monterey Park shooting »
Meet Your Humanities Faculty: Yun Emily Wang Our Spring 2023 tgiFHI series continues with Yun Emily Wang. Here's an interview with Prof. Wang on her research interests, method, and practice. Tell us about your research interests and how they developed for you. My current body of work focuses on Asian Canada, and more specifically the Chinese diaspora in Canada. The geocultural areas and topics I work on include East Asia, Asian America, and transpacific circulation/migration. My research… read more about Spring 2023 tgiFHI series: Meet Your Humanities Faculty: Yun Emily Wang »
Haley Warren, Trinity Communications Though her office is small, it is filled with the stories of former students. Printed out copies of journal articles and clippings from graphic novels are pinned to her walls. Essays and collections cover her desk. She proudly points them all out, explaining the research these papers originated from and how excited she is to have them published in various journals. She looks at one, explaining how the essay’s author writes about the plight of the “no-no boys,” a group… read more about From Footnote to Main Idea: Award Winner Teaches Writing via Asian American Narratives »
Observations from an Asian American & Diaspora Studies Program Student Photos by John West, Trinity Communications It’s easy to let something momentous wash soundlessly into a current of small logistics: the shoes that tape won’t hold, the baby quiet in a corner, the caterers folding black tablecloths and the blue folders waiting to be filled. Still, it was impossible to miss the waves of newness at the inaugural Southeast Conference on Asian American Studies – the first… read more about Speakers, Panelist Discuss Goals and Future of Asian American Pedagogy »
Traveling to many corners around the world, lawyer-turned-filmmaker Joseph Juhn was surprised to find familiar faces nearly everywhere. All around the United States as well as in South Africa, Australia, Brazil, Germany, and in Cuba, Juhn encountered members of the Korean diaspora, many of whom are native-born descendants of Korean migrants. This revelation inspired his first documentary, Jeronimo(link is external), which examined the Korean-Cuban community and the fascinating narrative of Jeronimo Lim Kim, a law school… read more about Asian American & Diaspora Studies Advance at Duke »
National recognition and respect for Asian Americans is surging, and yet, racial violence against Asian Americans is rising as well. Rather than seeing these as opposing trends, it makes more sense to understand how they are connected, suggests Amherst College Associate Provost and Associate Dean of the Faculty Pawan Dhingra. “To combat anti-Asian violence, we need to get at the root of what's behind it. Celebrating Asian Americans will not adequately meet that goal,” said Dhingra, who has been appointed as the Nannerl… read more about New Keohane Visiting Professor to Explore the Asian American Experience During Professorship at Duke and UNC »
Speakers from universities across the nation discussed the challenges of creating Asian American Studies programs and the importance of student activism at the inaugural 2022 Southeast Conference on Asian American Studies on Saturday. read more about Duke, UNC co-hosts first southeastern regional conference on Asian American Studies »
Duke’s pioneers are the people and organizations who push the University forward, relentlessly reimagining every aspect of our community with boundless energy and passion. They question the status quo and refuse to accept anything that is unjust or unsatisfactory. The pioneers of this year’s Chron15 list trekked through uncharted territories, leading to new academic programs, community connections, athletic success and scientific breakthroughs. Nina King Duke Athletics saw significant changes this year, from new hires… read more about Asian American Studies Working Group Among 2021-22 Chron15: Pioneers »
Since joining Duke in 2018, Esther has made a significant impact on the university through her directorship of the Asian American & Diaspora Studies program. Building on a foundation of advocacy by Duke students, alumni and faculty like AADS founding director Aimee Kwon, Esther successfully guided the creation of a new minor in Asian American & Diaspora Studies. Housed within the Department of Asian & Middle Eastern Studies, this new minor is dedicated to an interdisciplinary study of the people of Asian… read more about AADS Director Esther Kim Lee is awarded the 2022 Dean's Diversity Award »
TEDxDuke 2022: The Bones of Strangers and other Chinatown Stories with Eileen Cheng-yin Chow Instead of asking a stranger, “Where are you (really) from?”, Eileen Cheng-yin Chow suggests that “How did you get here today?” might yield a more meaningful exchange. Learning about the histories of Chinatowns and their inhabitants is to see how people who have been perceived as perpetual outsiders developed powerful strategies for survival and mutual care, in life and in death. And in turn, by shifting our attention to… read more about TEDxDuke 2022: “How Did You Get Here Today? On caring for strangers, and other Chinatown Stories” »
Shania Khoo was a freshman in high school in 2014 when Michael Brown was shot and killed in Ferguson, Mo. The killing of the Black teenager by a White police officer fueled a national resurgence in conversations about race. Khoo began advocating for an ethnic studies curriculum to bring these discussions into her classrooms in Cary, N.C., to educate herself and her peers about structural racism and social justice. She continued that activism at Duke University, building on the work of past organizers in calling for the… read more about The Washington Post: A minor in Asian American studies at Duke is a major win for student activists »