In Need of Asian American Studies at Harvard

Diverse has just come out with a fascinating article about Harvard University's inability to grant an Asian American Studies program. Asian Canadian Studies needs to follow the American model, and heed the same warnings and roadblocks that still faces the Asian American Studies curriculum today. Will we face the same institutional stigma and barriers as our cousins down south? Here's an excerpt of the article:

During the 1980s, Asian American students at Harvard University staged a noisy protest petitioning the university to hire an Asian American studies professor. Hundreds of student signatures were collected. No professors were hired.

Twenty years later, Asian American students at Harvard University are still protesting for a permanent Asian American studies professor and ultimately a full-fledged Asian American Studies concentration.

Student advocacy related to the issue has surged and subsided over the years but never disappeared. As Harvard University continues to stress its commitment to diversity, student groups such the Asian American Association are becoming increasingly anxious.

Yuting P. Chiang, co-chair of the Asian American Association education and politics committee, told Harvard’s student newspaper, “Harvard prides itself on its diversity, but there’s a huge gap in discussion on Asian American Studies.”

Professors say undergraduate advocates have failed to provide the steady pressure needed for change in Asian American studies, and, according to members of the Asian American Association, the administration also doubts the program will lure many students to the field. Another significant complaint among faculty is that the school does not have the appropriate funds or resources to institute a full Asian American Studies concentration.

Harvard University’s course guide for this academic year lists only four Asian American Studies courses – all of them taught by the same visiting professor, Eric Tang, from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Tang suggests that Harvard’s reluctance to develop an Asian American Studies program stems from its conservative curricular background

“Asian American Studies is an inherently political field; it’s a field born out of students’ struggle. It is not something that universities value. They don’t see it as essential to the core curriculum,” Tang says.

Phoebe Zen, a senior and the other co-chair of the committee, says, “For us, inclusion of Asian American Studies goes beyond just being a part of our identity; it’s an important part of academia that will give students what is necessary to help society progress in the future.

The Need for Librarians and Archivists

Suchcheng Chan, the grandmatron of Asian American Studies has argued that an essential ingredient of good research, especially in historical studies, is the availability of archival or primary sources. However, in an essay she had written in 1980, Being Scholars in Ethnic Studies, Chan argues that in Asian American Studies, such sources are virtually nonexistent. Or, what exists, is scattered, inaccessible, uncatalogued, and hence unusable. There are few, if any, libraries eager to accept custodial responsibility for such sources even when they have been found.

Therefore, potential researchers must venture onto unchartered seas and search for such materials with no guidance or help. Given this state of affairs, the choice of methodologies becomes problematic. Even when we know that particular methodology would be most appropriate for the study we have in mind, the lack of an adequate and reliable database may preclude our using the best methodologies we know of.

The same problem exists for Asian Canadian Studies. At the University of British Columbia, there is speculation that a new position for a librarian/archivist will be announced for its Chung Collection. 1999, the Chung family made an exceptional gift to the University of British Columbia Library, with their donation of The Wallace B. Chung and Madeline H. Chung Collection. In making a generous gift of this unique and extensive research collection, Dr. Chung gives back to Canada something of what he and his family have gained since his grandfather came from China to settle in Victoria more than 100 years ago.

Currently, at UBC, a great many treasures are hidden in the Rare Books and Special Collections as well as the University Archives which are inaccessible to most, and often found by only the most astute of researchers. With a dedicated information professional to take on the passionate role of the gate keeper of the Chung Collection, the state of Asian Canadian Studies will be in a more stronger position in advancing and solidifying the new field of Asian Canadian Studies. There are still countless boxes of treasure yet to be catalogued in the Chung Collection. Only time will tell when they can be unearthed for students and researchers.

Web 2.0 and History

Web 2.0's power is just more than just information and entertainment. It brings back the past. Particularly moments of racism in history which we try to hide and cover up. This Youtube video is good example of the power of social software.

Asian Canadian Librarianship - A New Beginning

While much has been written about Chinese Americans and Asian Americans librarians, there has yet to be an article about Asian Canadian librarians even though the history of Asian librarians working in Canada have been strong. Quite recently, the Initiative for Student Teaching and Research in Chinese Canadian Studies (INSTRCC) launched a series of conferences and courses focusing on Asian Canadian Studies. Amerasia recently celebrated the Anniversaries 1907 Race Riots Conference in Vancouver, B.C. with a special issue called "Pacific Canada: Beyond the 49th Parallel." Thus marked an historic moment in which scholars from across different disciplines pushed forth this discipline with its own unique set of methods, topics, and institutional locations. During my tenure as an academic librarian at the University of British Columbia's Humanities and Social Sciences Division, I have had the opportunity to meld my intellectual interests with my library training in experimenting with this new and growing field with Web 2.0 technologies. Can Asian Canadian Studies be applied to the field of librarianship? We'll see.