Since you're obviously curious, let me tell you a little bit about me. My name is C.N. Le and I am the person behind Asian-Nation.

EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND

Ph.D. -- Doctor of Philosophy (2004)
Graduate Program in Sociology, University at Albany, SUNY

Bachelors of Arts (1993)
Political Science and Sociology, University of California, Irvine   --   Anteaters of the world unite!

CURRENT PROFESSIONAL POSITIONS

Visiting Assistant Professor (September 2003 to Present)
Department of Sociology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst

Director, Asian & Asian American Studies Certificate Program (January 2004 to Present)
University of Massachusetts, Amherst

Currently, the bulk of my research involves using Census data to analyze and compare socioeconomic and demographic outcomes of assimilation among Asian Americans. These outcomes include (1) self-employment and entrepreneurship; (2) marital assimilation and intermarriage/interracial marriage; (3) education, occupation, and income; and (4) residential segregation and quality of neighborhoods. I also have secondary research interests in cross-national comparisons of socioeconomic assimilation among Vietnamese diasporic communities in the U.S., Canada, France, and Australia, along with analyzing the sociological contexts of anti-communist political activities of Vietnamese Americans.

EMPLOYMENT HISTORY

Research Associate (January 2000 to July 2002)
Center for Technology in Government, Albany, NY

• Worked within a small team of primary investigators to conduct NSF-funded research (including ethnographic field observation, structured interviews, focus groups, facilitated meetings, and administering survey questionnaires) on how New York State government agencies use information technology to work collaboratively and to improve their public services.

Director of Education (November 1998 to January 2000)
Asian & Pacific Islander Coalition on HIV/AIDS, Inc., New York, NY

• Developed and oversaw multi-level community education and outreach planning, implementation, and evaluation, including peer education programs; hired, supervised, and evaluated staff of coordinators for six separate but interrelated targeted programs.

Administrative Coordinator (September 1998 to November 1998)
National Asian Pacific American Bar Association, New York, NY

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS, ONLINE ARTICLES, & MEDIA QUOTATIONS

Le, C.N. 2007. Asian American Assimilation: Ethnicity, Immigration, and Socioeconomic Attainment. New York, NY: LFB Scholarly Publishing.

Le, C.N. Accepted for publication. "'Better Dead Than Red': Anti-Communist Politics Among Vietnamese Americans" in Anti-Communist Minorities in the US: The Political Activism of Ethnic Refugees, edited by Ieva Zake. New York: Palgrave-MacMillan.

Le, C.N. Forthcoming. Short articles in Asian American History and Culture: An Encyclopedia, edited by Huping Ling and Dr. Allan W. Austin. Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe.

• "Adoption of Asian Children"
• "Amerasians and Multiracial Asian Americans"
• "Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965"
• "Interracial Marriages"
• Second-Generation Identity"
• "Youth Gangs"
• "Asian Americans and Work"

Le, C.N. 2004. "Fleeing Dragon: The Refugee Experience From a Vietnamese Immigrant Family" in Minority Voices: Linking Personal Ethnic History with the Sociological Imagination, edited by John Rowan. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

Quoted by The Associated Press, "Concern Over Focus on VT Shooter's Race" article, written by Dionne Walker, April 19, 2007.

Quoted by The Associated Press, "Interracial Marriages Surge Across U.S." article, written by David Crary, April 13, 2007.

Quoted in Footnotes: Monthly Newsletter of the American Sociological Association, "Portrait of the Sociologist as Blogger" article, written by LaVon Rice, February 2007.

Guest speaker on radio program on "Asian & Arab Culture," hosted by Paul Allen Billings of WUVS-LP 103.7 The Beat, December 11, 2006.

Quoted in The Christian Science Monitor, "Smugglers Exploit Hole in Port Security" article, written by Brad Knickerbocker, April 11, 2006.

Quoted in The Atlanta Constitution, "Vietnam Heartache: Saigon's Fall Haunts Refugees Every Spring" article, written by Sheila Poole, April 27, 2005.

Quoted by the Associated Press, "Vietnamese in U.S. Take Stock of Community" article, written by Erin Texeira, April 24, 2005.

Quoted in Diversity Inc. Magazine, "To Be Asian in America: Success and Stereotypes" article, written by Angela Johnson Meadows, April 2005.

Quoted in The Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin, "Straddling Two Cultures: Vietnamese American Finds Looking Back Helps Him Look Forward" newspaper article, written by My-Ly Nguyen, April 5, 2005.

Le, C.N. 2004. "Asian Pacific Americans, Polls and the 2004 Election" IMDiversity.com Asian American Village, September 28, 2004.

Quoted in The Boston Globe, "One Enclave, Two Camps, Two Very Distinct Views" newspaper article, written by Wendy Lee, August 29, 2004.

Le, C.N. 2003. "By the Numbers: Dating, Marriage, and Race in Asian America." IMDiversity.com Asian American Village, February 14, 2003.

Quoted in The Hartford Courant, "When Family is the Tradition" newspaper article, written by Mike Swift, published April 28, 2002.

Featured in "HIV Prevention with Faith Communities and Communities of Color" satellite broadcast, produced by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, broadcast nationally on November 18, 1999.

Quoted in A. Magazine: Inside Asian America, "Speaking of Sex" feature article, written by Jungwon Kim, published by Metro East Publications, Inc., April/May 1999 issue.

RECENT ACADEMIC PRESENTATIONS AND INVITED TALKS

Le, C.N. "Virtually Asian: The Social Construction of Identity Through Internet Media," presented at the annual meeting of the Association for Asian American Studies, April 20, 2008 in Chicago, IL.

Le, C.N. "'Better Dead Than Red': Anti-Communist Politics Among Vietnamese Americans," presented at the "The Cold War Warriors: Political Activism of Ethnic Groups during the Cold War in the U.S." symposium, April 1, 2008, at Rowan University.

Le, C.N. "Socioeconomic Attainment, Neighborhood Quality, and Residential Segregation in Ten Asian American Ethnic Enclaves," presented at the annual meeting of the Eastern Sociological Society, February 24, 2008 in New York, NY.

Invited Speaker, "Muslim American Assimilation: Cultural and Socioeconomic Patterns," U.S./Spain Exchange Project on Muslim Youth Integration, Institute for Training and Development, Amherst, MA, June 12, 2007.

Invited Speaker, "Asian American Identity and Experiences: Past, Present, and Future," Connecticut College, April 20, 2007.

Le, C.N. "'Moving on Up': A Comparison of Asian American Enclave Characteristics," presented at the annual meeting of the Association for Asian American Studies, April 7, 2007 in New York, NY.

Presenter, "Asian American Identity in the 21st Century," 1st Annual Five College Asian Pacific American Student Leadership Conference, Amherst, MA, March 10, 2007.

Panelist, "Blogging and Asian Pacific American Political Awareness," 13th Annual National Asian Pacific American Conference on Law and Public Policy, Harvard Law School, Cambridge, MA, March 3, 2007.

Panelist, "Ninth Annual North Adams Neighborhood Expo: Asian Americans," Northern Berkshire Community Coalition, North Adams, MA, December 2, 2006.

Invited Speaker, "Asian American Assimilation and Identity in the 21st Century," Asian/Asian-American Alumnae and Student Conference, Mount Holyoke College, November 4, 2006.

Keynote Speaker, "Breaking the Glass Ceiling: The Asian American Experience" conference, Korean American Students of Smith and the Asian Students Association, Smith College, November 5, 2005.

Le, C.N. "New Dimensions of Entrepreneurship Among Foreign- and U.S.-Raised Asian Americans in the Global Economy," presented at the annual meeting of the American Sociological Association, August 14, 2005 in Philadelphia, PA.

Invited Speaker, "Asian Americans in Professional Occupations," Asian American Employees Resource Group, Raytheon Corporation, Waltham, MA, May 25, 2005.

Invited Speaker, "Affirmative Action and Higher Education," in conjunction with Boston Asian Students Intercollegiate Conference, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston, MA, October 2, 2004.

Invited Speaker, ''History, Segregation, and Inclusion: The Meaning and Consequences of Ethnic Solidarity,'' in conjunction with Asian American Heritage Week, organized by Lambda Phi Epsilon, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, February 16, 2003.

MOST IMPORTANT JOBS

Father (May 1999 to present)
Responding to some of her favorite things to say, such as:

• "No!"
• "Why?"
• "Oh, I see."
• "Daddy, I need 80 dollars to go shopping." [She was only 2½ at the time]

Husband (January 1999 to present)

• "Yes, dear."
• "You're absolutely right dear, that was completely my fault."
• "I love you with all my heart and I can't live without you, honey." [Actually true]

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What exactly does 'C.N.' stand for?

Basically, the C.N. is just the first and middle initials of my full name, Cuong Nguyen Le. However, it's been my experience over the years that unless people speak Vietnamese, chances are they will mispronounce my name. To make a long story short, up until the 9th grade, I went by just my first name, Cuong. However, everybody pronounced it "Quong." I got tired of that and because I wanted to just "fit in" like everyone else, from 9th grade until I graduate from college, I went by the American name "Sean."

But after I started studying political science and sociology in college and learned that being Vietnamese and Asian American wasn't a source of embarrassment or shame but of strength and inspiration, I realized that "Sean" didn't reflect my rediscovered ethnic identity anymore. I really wanted to go back to using "Cuong" but I didn't want everybody constantly mispronouncing it, so I compromised and now go by my first and middle initials. So there you have it.

Why did you decide to create Asian-Nation?

Because I saw that there was a critical need for Asian Americans to represent ourselves in mainstream American society, rather than allowing others to represent us however they wanted. I want to directly educate people about the Asian American experience myself instead of having them rely on distorted portrayals and ignorant stereotypes. Throughout my life, I frequently been one of the few Asians around and in that position, having to be a "spokesperson" for the entire Asian American community and educating people a little bit at a time until they 'get it.' So I figured, why not create a resource where I can do just that to lots of people at once?

Why did you name the site "Asian-Nation?"

There's not one specific reason and actually, I chose that name somewhat on a whim and as a spur-of-the-moment kind of thing. Basically I liked the sound of it and it generally represents the contributions that Asians have made to the history and culture of American society.

Aren't there plenty of Asian American-related sites out there already?

That's true but to echo a central theme of Asian-Nation, there is so much diversity in the Asian American community that I don't think any resource can be completely comprehensive and claim to represent all there is to know about Asian Americans, including Asian-Nation. The more information and the more perspectives there are about our history, culture, and issues, the better.

There's so much great research and useful information -- aren't you worried that people will copy and plagiarize your work?

In my Terms of Use page, I tell people that it's fine for them to copy and reuse any information they find useful and use it in a term paper or report, etc. but that they should follow the principles of academic honesty and cite or reference their sources, wherever they come from (it's very easy to do as well). Ultimately, I can't control what people do with the materials within Asian-Nation. But at least I know that wherever and however the information gets reused, at least it's information that is well-researched, factual, and valid.

Doesn't Asian-Nation foster a self-pitying, "us versus them" mentality?

It's true that in describing the history of Asian Americans, it can appear that Asian Americans sound bitter, resentful, and angry. But as many Asian Americans can personally testify to, the prejudices, injustices, and instances of racism are real and that only people of color have the dubious distinction of being in this vulnerable position.

I feel that the first step toward a truly unified and harmonious society is to recognize and understand the history and contemporary mechanisms of injustices and inequalities that operate against communities of color. Once we're all on the same page, then we can work together to break down these barriers once and for all. In addition to talking about what has been done to Asian Americans, I also try hard to present what Asian Americans have done -- our contributions to American history and culture that should inspire pride, not pity.

Why are South Asians (Indians, Pakistanis, etc.) considered Asian Americans? Isn't it true that they have very little in common with East Asian ethnic groups such as the Chinese and Japanese?

Racial identity and categories are notoriously difficult issues to try to resolve. Regarding the concept of race, biologists, anthropologists, and the overwhelming majority of academic scholars have concluded that the idea of "races" or distinct "racial groups" actually has very little biological validity. In other words, there is so much genetic variation and exceptions to popularly-accepted ideas of identity between and even within each "racial group" that it is not scientifically valid to classify people into different "racial groups."

The bottom line is that "race" is not a biologically-created concept -- it is purely a politically and socially-constructed concept. The definition of who belongs to what "racial group" constantly changes and varies between countries. With that in mind, the majority of scholars in sociology, Asian American Studies, etc. include Indians as part of the "Asian American" population because they share many political, demographic, and social characteristics in common with "East Asian" groups such as Chinese, Japanese, etc.

Why do you include a search box for a dating site on some of your articles? Doesn't this hurt your site's credibility?

I understand and respect that some people might initially object to the inclusion of the Match.com search function on my site. At the same time, I have chosen to include it on my site for the following reasons:

• Even though the time that I've put into creating and maintaining this site is free, hosting it on the Internet is not. Therefore, the practical reality is that it serves as a way to defer the costs required in hosting it.
• I do not believe that online dating sites such as Match.com are illegitimate or disreputable. In fact, all indications are that online dating sites like Match.com, eHarmony.com, etc. have become quite mainstream and hugely popular among Americans of all backgrounds.
• As an academic, I strongly support free speech, even if some people find it offensive, including Asian Americans. People have a right to object to sites like Match.com if they so choose, but I do not support calls to censor it or any other media based solely on people's individual preferences.
• I would hope that my visitors are sophisticated enough to ultimately judge my credibility by the quality of the information I present in my articles, the thoroughness of my arguments and data presentation, and my overall professional qualifications.

You must have put a huge amount of time into creating Asian-Nation.

Yes, it took quite a bit of time to do the research, writing, find pictures, and to write all the HTML code myself. But luckily, much of the research I had done already in my undergraduate and graduate studies and in preparing lectures for when I teach "Race and Ethnicity" to undergraduate classes. But as the saying goes, the harder you work for something, the more you appreciate it . . .

Copyright © 2001- by C.N. Le. All rights reserved.

Suggested reference: Le, C.N. . "About Me & FAQs" Asian-Nation: The Landscape of Asian America. <http://www.asian-nation.org/about.shtml> ().