Faculty Awardees
Harvey Dong, Ethnic Studies, “Preserving the Legacy of the Locke Chinese American Village Through Oral History”
This oral histories project examines the histories shared and the histories that are not shared about the Chinese town of Locke, California. It aims to collect oral histories of Locke residents to preserve an important piece of not just Chinese-American history, but American history in general. These histories are being forgotten, especially with past residents getting older. The “Preserving the Legacy of the Locke Chinese American Village Through Oral History” project aims to ensure that the residents (and their histories) will not be lost or forgotten. The timeline covered will start at the beginnings of the town in 1915 all the way to the town in the present. This project uses this timeline to see the erasure of Locke's history and the loss of its Chinese residents. This project examines the stories that are being shared currently about Locke and asks how these stories compare to the actual history of the town—the histories and stories that are not shared. To collect these histories, interviews were conducted with residents who lived in Locke and other neighboring towns in the Sacramento River Delta, as well as with book authors, historians, and members of the Locke Foundation. These interviews helped in creating the narrative shared in the project which showcases real and substantial stories of the Chinese-Americans. These collections of oral histories produce a concrete history of Locke, capturing its significance and making it so that Lockeʼs history and continued presence lives on.
Vernadette Vicuña Gonzalez, Ethnic Studies, “The Iwilei Race/Sex Riot”
My research project seeks to better contextualize a 1916 race/sex riot that took place in Iwilei, Honoluluʼs red-light district. Carried out by Black soldiers on liberty who were allegedly refused service by the women of Iwilei, the riot constitutes a key moment to understand the collision of different gendered and racialized im/mobilizations activated by plantation economies, U.S. military desire, white Territorial ambitions, and US immigration law. In the geography of the red-light district, different types of racial segregation—Black soldiers in “colored” regiments shipping out to the Philippine, and primarily Japanese sex workers who plied their trade in Iwilei—came to a head in this moment. Yet the larger contours of gendered racialized militarism and occupation, in Hawai‘i as well as the United States, Asia and the Pacific, are also integral to understanding the conditions of possibility that gave rise to the riot. My research will flesh out these conditions as well as the events of the riot itself through archival research in Honolulu. I hope to shed light on how the intimate registers of this race/sex riot are essential elements to US military occupation in the region. Discourses of health—soldiersʼ “rest and recreation,” and thus military readiness, and the subjection of sex workers to regular health examinations-- were tied to ideologies of military security in the region. This focus on the Iwilei race/sex riot demonstrates the contractions and tensions in human resources that the US empire had to manage in its occupation of the region.
Hidetaka Hirota, History, “A New History of Japanese Transpacific Migration and Encounters with US Immigration Law”
This book project offers a new history of Japanese immigration to the United States by examining the implementation of US immigrant laws, including provisions regarding health and diseases, against the Japanese to 1924. Based on an extensive use of Japanese-language sources, which have previously been largely overlooked in Asian American Studies research, the project makes three important contributions to the field. First, this project investigates the relationship between Asians and US immigration policy from Asiansʼ perspectives, analyzing how Japanese immigrants viewed their border crossing experiences, encounters with US immigration laws, and local officialsʼ law enforcement activities. Second, the project illuminates unwritten racism in US immigration laws. Much has been written on Chinese exclusion laws, which were expressly racist, but scholars have paid relatively scant attention to the experiences of non-Chinese Asian immigrants subjected to immigration laws that applied to all foreigners except the Chinese. My project demonstrates how racism was practically integrated into the administration of technically color-blind general laws at the discretion of local inspectors, who excluded the Japanese while admitting Europeans. Third, the project reveals the transnational dimensions of anti-disease provisions of US immigration laws. In response to US laws which excluded foreigners with contagious diseases like trachoma, an infectious eye disease, the Japanese government required prospective emigrants to pass a pre-departure eye examination, which seemed to involve US consular officials in Japan. The project reveals how US medical exclusion policy had an extraterritorial effect, leading to the practice of selecting and excluding immigrants in Japan before their departure for North America.
SanSan Kwan, Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies, “An Asian American Aesthetics of Passivity”
I propose a two-pronged creative and scholarly project that explores an Asian American aesthetics of passivity. Passivity is, of course, a well-worn Asian stereotype. Working against this stereotype, I explore the paradoxically political possibilities of passivity. Can we see passivity as a particularly Asian American aesthetic, especially in the face of Western values of action? The scholarly outcome of my project will be a journal article analyzing the work of three Asian American artists. The creative product will be a choreographic work for three dancers. In the article, I offer a sketch of three Asian American artists to explore what an aesthetics of passivity might look like. Can artists engage politically via aesthetic modes that are not loud and insistent, but quiet, even indiscernible? Passivity is a term that encompasses a range of traits often attributed pejoratively to Asian Americans: submissiveness, invisibility, inscrutability, docility, and so on. I employ passivity paradoxically, as an umbrella term to describe the work of artists who find generative value in qualities like generosity, deference, and indecipherability. I will expand my thinking around Asian American passivity via choreographic exploration. As with the article, I play at the multiple valences around a term that has historically stereotyped Asian Americans. How does it feel for us, especially in this Covid era, to live under conditions of anticipated violence? What actions are there to take? Through a choreographic study of submission, I hope to subvert disparaging characterizations of Asian passivity, not to assert the value of invulnerability, but to demonstrate an aesthetics of self-possession through relational vulnerability. I hope to bring audiences into an ambiguous space that both performs the visceral anguish of anticipated violence and also suggests a model for repair. I aim to stimulate kinesthetic understanding – and potentially collective processing – of the experience of racial fear and harm.
Margiana Peterson-Rockney, Environmental Science, Policy and Management, “Agrarian Migrations and Hmong Diasporas in Siskiyou County, California”
My ongoing community-engaged research with Hmong and Hmong American farmers in California has begun to document agrarian diasporas, climate change vulnerabilities and risks, and disparities in land and water policy enforcement. Since the mid-2010s, thousands of Hmong and Hmong American farmers have moved to rural areas of northern California from cities like Fresno, California, and St. Paul, Minnesota, to retire, live in community, and farm. Many farmers grow subsistence vegetable gardens and raise small livestock, and some also grow cannabis. Today, Hmong farmers in the region face twin crises of racially biased rural policing and climate change-induced wildfires and drought. With AARC funding, I will develop a new partnership with California- based documentarian Morgan Vannavilaithong. Along with Orianna Jia (current URAP undergraduate research apprentice), we will conduct oral life history interviews with one multigenerational Hmong farming family in Siskiyou County. From these interviews, we will craft a multimedia video and photo essay output to share research findings more broadly. Specifically, we will highlight Hmong agrarian diasporas and migrations, and how Hmong American families are building community resilience in the face of climate change impacts and policy disparities.
Qing Zhou, Psychology, “Investigating Cultural Risk and Protective Factors for Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors in Asian American Pacific Islander College Students”
This mixed methods study will investigate cultural risk and protective factors for suicidal thoughts and behaviors (SBTs) among Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) college students. Emerging adulthood (ages 18-30) represents a critical developmental stage characterized by unique biological, psychological, and interpersonal processes with implications for individualsʼ long-term mental health. Past research has revealed that young/emerging adults are more susceptible to SBTs (suicidal ideation, planning, and suicidal attempts) compared to older adults, likely due to elevated exposure to stressors and higher rates of psychiatric problems. Among this vulnerable group, AAPI emerging adults stand out with higher rates of suicidal thoughts and attempts compared to those from other racial and ethnic groups. There was data suggesting that AAPI college students accounted for 10% of all suicide deaths on college campuses, a suicide rate significantly higher than white students. The elevated risk for SBTs, coupled with the well-documented underutilization of mental health services among AAPIs, has called for research on culturally salient risk and protective factors for SBTs among AAPI emerging adults. This mixed method study will test a theory-driven cultural model of risk and protective processes for STBs among AAPI college students. We will conduct an internet-based survey of 300 AAPI undergraduate students (aged 18 to 30 years) at UC Berkeley campus and conduct qualitative interviews of a subsample (N = 10) of AAPI students. Findings from this study can inform culturally competent SBT early detection and prevention programs for AAPIs.
Graduate Student Awardees
Edwin Carlos, Education, “Gendered Racialization: Health and Masculinity of Filipino American Men”
At a time with hypervisible health inequities among Asian Americans (Yellow Horse 2021), it is more important than ever to understand pathways to individual and societal healing from systems of oppression. This is especially important for Filipinx Americans, who experience cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension, and tobacco use (Coronado et al., 2022; Fuller-Thomson et al., 2017; Hurtado et al., 2014; Herzog & Pokhrel, 2013) at the intersections of colonialism, racism, and cissexism (Sabado-Liwag et al., 2022). Additionally, research on Filipina American mental health found that 45.6% of Filipina American adolescents had suicidal ideation and 13.6% of Filipina American youths had a depression rate of 13.6% (Agbayani-Siewart & Enrile, 2003; Kim and Chun, 1993). However, not much is known about the particular mental health outcomes for cisgender Filipino American men, particularly in recent years. This project examines the gendered and racial experiences of Filipino American (FilAm) cisgender men to understand how they are socialized to their gender identity and ethnic-racial identity (ERI), engage in medical and mental health services, and engage in critical issues in society in particular ways. Psychometric analyses of masculinity, ERI, and critical consciousness measures will be examined to investigate a) how useful measures of ERI, masculinity, and critical consciousness are with a Filipino American cisgender men population, b) what correlates of ERI, masculinity, and critical consciousness are related to positive health and well-being outcomes, and c) how different profiles of ERI highlight how particular combinations of attitudes impact their health and well-being.
Sarah Halabe, Ethnic Studies, “Arts of Activism: Asian American Grassroots Arts Collectives in Long Sixties”
The Asian American Movement of the late 60s gave birth to a handful of grassroots organizations dedicated to community services such as housing and education, as well as a small number of arts organizations - notably, Kearny Street Workshop in San Francisco, Basement Workshop in New York City, and Visual Communications in Los Angeles. One of the primary tenets of the Movement was radical self-determination. Because they were spaces of artistic production and political activism, these collectives were pivotal in making this vision a reality. My project explores how the creation of art and artistic community emerged as a liberatory and political practice for Asian Americans and other people of color amongst the upheavals of the late sixties. Kearny Street Workshop, Basement Workshop, and Visual Communications were each instrumental in their contributions to the political and cultural aims of the Asian American Movement; yet, there is limited understanding about the extent to which they collaborated and influenced each other. My project centers this question within a larger framework of re-narrating the Asian American Movement through its aesthetic productions.
Hua Luo, Education, “Understanding Chinese American Adolescentsʼ Psychological Well-being and Health-Related Behaviors: The Role of Ethnic-Racial Identity Attitudes”
The outbreak of COVID-19 has exacerbated anti-Asian racism in the U.S. Research has shown that, among all individuals affected, Chinese American adolescents (CAA)—as ethnic-racial minorities in the U.S.—are particularly vulnerable to the detrimental impact of ethnic-racial discrimination (ERD) on mental health and health-related behaviors, considering they are at a critical period for identity formation and for the development of healthy habits related to substance and food consumption. Yet, little is known about the complex mechanism through which ERD influences CAAʼs well-being, limiting our ability to unpack the nuances of CAAʼs risk and resilience. Ethnic-racial identity (ERI) attitudes, referred to as the evaluative beliefs one has towards their ethnicity and race, may be a fruitful area of exploration to address the gap in extant literature. Employing latent profile analysis, a person-centered approach, I seek to identify comprehensive adaptive and maladaptive profiles of ERI attitudes among a sample of CAA. Subsequently, I will examine profile differences concerning participantsʼ anxiety, depression, and frequencies of substance consumption (e.g., alcohol, drugs, sugar-sweetened and/or caffeinated food and beverages), controlling for individualsʼ experiences and expectations of ERD. Findings of this study will provide insights into how constellations of ERI attitudes influence psychological and health-related adjustment of CAA in the face of ERD. Ultimately, insights gained from this study could inform early identification of at-risk CAA, the development of preventive efforts, and the provision of strength-based support through collective community efforts of parents, mental health providers, and educators, to enhance positive outcomes for younger generations of Chinese Americans.
Lisa Ng, Ethnic Studies, “Urban Beautification as Community Care: A Contemporary Study of Pháp Duyên Tự (Oakland Buddha) in Little Saigon”
In 2009, Oakland resident Dan Stevenson installed a Buddha statue in a traffic median on 11th Avenue and 19th Street in Little Saigon after being frustrated with the amount of littering and illicit activity happening on the corner. Shortly after, Vietnamese community members constructed a shrine for the Buddha - they installed a shelter, lights, security cameras, and even a radio that plays Buddhist chants for the statue. After community members converted the statue to a shrine, crime in the neighborhood dropped 82% over the course of two years. The statue - now known as the ‘Oakland Buddhaʼ or Pháp Duyên Tự by community members - is ‘just a little guy sitting over there changing the energyʼ of the block from one of abandonment and neglect to community and care. Using ethnographic methods such as participant observation, interviews with community members, and archival research, this research will examine how racialized Asian communities in Oakland construct notions of belonging and communal safety through the processes of urban beautification that include rituals of cleaning, removing trash, and maintaining the urban environments in which they live, work, and play.
Maria Victoria Ribeiro Ruy, Ethnic Studies, “The Wasp and Revista Illustrada: Sketches of Chinese Exclusion in Brazil and in the US”
It's widely accepted that the 19th century US immigration policies, like the Chinese Exclusion Act, heavily influenced legislation in Brazil and other countries in the Americas. Not only the laws were similar – the public debates, social movements and racial representations that helped ignite such rulings were also strikingly alike. Scholars like Márcia Yumi Takeuchi (2009) and Ana Paulina Lee (2018) have previously delved into the depictions of East Asian immigrants in 19th century Brazilian magazines and newspapers. Although these scholars mention the US influence, they are not focused on a close mapping of such consonances. This project will juxtapose two critical publications for the rise of Anti-Chinese sentiment in the USA and Brasil: The Wasp magazine and Revista Illustrada. Respectively published in San Francisco (1877-1841) and in Rio de Janeiro (1876-1898), both were illustrated magazines whose satirical content was aimed against those in power, while heavily relying on degrading caricatures of the non-ethically normative (that is, non Anglo Saxons for The Wasp and those with little or no European descent for Revista Illustrada). Some of my questions are: How do the cartoons compare? Are there tropes/portrayals of the Chinese that are unique to Brazil, that is, that donʼt figure in US depictions? How are the Chinese represented in relation to the representation of Black people? The complete collections of the magazinesʼ issues are available at the Bancroft Library (University of California, Berkeley) and the Biblioteca Nacional (Rio de Janeiro).
Leyi Zhou, Social Welfare, “Experience of Civic Participation and Community Engagement among Older Chinese Immigrants”
In the last two decades, there has been a significant emphasis on older adults' civic participation. However, research on the civic engagement of Asian Americans is notably lacking. Firstly, existing literature predominantly focuses on formal volunteering and voting, neglecting informal modes of civic participation and community engagement, such as resource sharing, community activities, peer support, and mentoring. Secondly, our understanding of civic engagement is primarily based on the experiences of white American older adults. This has created a substantial gap in our empirical knowledge of civic participation among historically marginalized groups.
To address these gaps, our phenomenological study will investigate civic participation among older Chinese immigrants in the Bay Area. This research aims to develop the empirical literature on civic participation from the perspective of Chinese immigrant older adults. We plan to conduct two in-depth interviews among 15 participants to examine the trajectory of civic participation from childhood to later life and across cultural and sociopolitical contexts. This research is part of a larger research project that has examined civic participation among Black American and Latinx immigrant older adults. By expanding our sample to include Chinese immigrant older adults, we will have the opportunity to compare experiences of civic participation across three historically marginalized groups, who according to the current literature are the least civically involved. Our ultimate goal is to develop a theoretical framework of civic participation that centers the experiences of historically marginalized older adults and can serve to improve future research, policy and program interventions.
