Symposium in Honor of Michael Omi on the Occasion of His Retirement, 2021

Michael OmiMichael Omi retired in June 2021 after 35 years as a beloved and inspirational faculty member at UC Berkeley. This symposium featured his colleagues and former students discussing his work and its implications in the academy and community. Professor Omi is best known as the co-author of Racial Formation in the United States, a groundbreaking work that transformed how we understand the social and historical forces that give race its changing meaning over time and place. The 3rd edition of the book was released in 2015. At Berkeley, he is known as an outstanding instructor and thoughtful leader who has served the campus in numerous positions, including as Director of the Institute for the Study of Social Change (now the Institute for the Study of Societal Issues), as Associate Director of the Haas Institute for a Fair and Inclusive Society (now the Othering and Belonging Institute), and as founding chair of the Asian American Research Center. Professor Omi's primary appointment was in the Department of Ethnic Studies with affiliations in Sociology and Gender & Women's Studies. Students in these departments and many more had the pleasure of taking his classes; Michael Omi is a recipient of UC Berkeley’s Distinguished Teaching Award. Fortunately, Professor Omi will continue to be active on campus and beyond; this 2021 symposium acknowledged the milestone of his retirement and provided an opportunity to appreciate his many contributions.

Sponsors:

Asian American and Asian Diaspora Studies, Asian American Research Center, Ethnic Studies, Institute for the Study of Societal Issues, Othering & Belonging Institute, Thelton E. Henderson Center for Social Justice

Honoring Michael Omi: Racial Formations


Welcome: Carol Christ, Chancellor, UC Berkeley

Moderator: Stephen Small, Director, Institute for the Study of Societal Issues; Professor, African American Studies, UC Berkeley

Speakers:

Victor Rios, Professor, Sociology, UC Santa Barbara

Lisa Lowe, Samuel Knight Professor of American Studies and Professor of Ethnicity, Race, and Migration, Yale University

Troy Duster, Chancellor’s Professor Emeritus, UC Berkeley

Michael Omi, Professor Emeritus, Asian American and Asian Diaspora Studies, UC Berkeley

Symposium in Honor of Michael Omi on the Occasion of His Retirement: Panel 2

Welcome: Juana María Rodríguez, Professor and Chair, Ethnic Studies, UC Berkeley

Moderator: Lok Siu, Associate Professor, Asian American and Asian Diaspora Studies, UC Berkeley

Speakers:

Tomás Almaguer, Professor Emeritus, Latina/Latino Studies, San Francisco State University

Gary Okihiro, Visiting Professor, American Studies, Yale University

Nadia Y. Kim, Professor, Sociology and Asian & Asian American Studies, Loyola Marymount University

john a. powell, Director, Othering & Belonging Institute, and Robert D. Haas Chancellor’s Chair in Equity and Inclusion, UC Berkeley

Symposium in Honor of Michael Omi on the Occasion of His Retirement: Panel 3

Welcome: Keith Feldman, Associate Professor, Ethnic Studies, UC Berkeley

Moderator: Khatharya Um, Associate Professor, Asian American and Asian Diaspora Studies, UC Berkeley

Speakers: Edward Park, Professor and Chair of Asian and Asian American Studies, Loyola Marymount University

Jessica Vasquez-Tokos, Professor, Sociology, University of Oregon

Linda Trinh Vo, Professor, Asian American Studies, UC Irvine

Daniel Woo, American Culture Studies Postdoctoral Fellow in Ethnic Studies, Washington University in St. Louis

Concluding remarks: Howard Winant, Professor, Sociology, UC Santa Barbara

Reception Remarks

Symposium in Honor of Michael Omi on the Occasion of His Retirement: Reception

Speakers: Philip Kan Gotanda, Professor of Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies, UC Berkeley​

Michael Omi, Professor Emeritus, Asian American and Asian Diaspora Studies, UC Berkeley