The views and opinions expressed on this site and blog posts (excluding comments on blog posts left by others) are entirely my own and do not represent those of any employer or organization with whom I am currently or previously have been associated.
Academic Version: Applying my personal experiences and academic research as a professor of Sociology and Asian American Studies to provide a more complete understanding of political, economic, and cultural issues and current events related to American race relations, and Asia/Asian America in particular.
Plain English: Trying to put my Ph.D. to good use.
I am lending my support to efforts by many in the medical and public health community to urge the federal government to direct necessary resources to fight the infection and spread of Hepatitis B among the Asian American population. San Francisco Hepatitis B Free Co-Founder Ted Fang & California Assemblywoman Fiona Ma elaborate on the details of this effort:
Last month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced its priority issues in a list of “six winnable battles,” including HIV/AIDS, obesity and nutrition, traffic accidents, and teen pregnancy. Viral hepatitis was not included on this list.
Asians are the only racial group in which cancer is the number one killer. Liver cancer and hepatitis B liver disease are the greatest health disparities for Asians. Hepatitis B attacks the liver when active, and is one hundred times more infectious than HIV. Left untreated, the disease can cause cirrhosis, liver cancer and liver failure. 80% of liver cancer cases worldwide are caused by Hepatitis B. 1 out of 10 Asian Pacific Islanders is infected.
The Centers for Disease Control’s new prioritization of ‘six winnable battles’ demonstrates the CDC’s poor track record towards achieving health equity for all Americans. Community groups on the frontline in the battle against hepatitis B and liver cancer say that the CDC’s new priorities could stymie their efforts to increase public awareness of the diseases, as well as lessen their chances of securing the funding necessary to implement effective and comprehensive prevention programs.
We need to get people to get tested, treat those who have it and vaccinate those who haven’t been exposed. We have a vaccine that works and drugs to manage it. The problem is, more than half of the people who have it don’t even know it. Hepatitis B has been called a “silent killer” because infected individuals often exhibit no symptoms until the liver has been compromised, limiting the effectiveness of available treatments. Early detection is key and the blood test used is both simple and inexpensive. However, few physicians routinely test patients for Hepatitis B.
The CDC has yet to explain why hepatitis B and liver cancer were not included on the list of agency priorities. CDC representatives, including Director Dr. Thomas Frieden have not commented on community concerns. The CDC only has $7.3 million allocated to national Hepatitis B and C prevention. Congressman Mike Honda (D-CA) has introduced a Liver Cancer Bill calling for $600 million to be allocated for national interventions. The bill has 75 co-sponsors.
To get more funds from the government, the public needs to speak up, convince policymakers that it’s important to them, and demand that something be done. The problem is, the public isn’t even aware that Hepatitis B poses a significant risk to public health, even though it affects millions of Americans. Further lessening the chances of a big enough uproar being
raised to force politicians’ hands is the fact that half of those infected with Hepatitis B are Asian & Pacific Islanders, whose cultures do not encourage activism. 1 in 4 APIs diagnosed with Hepatitis B will die of liver cancer unless they receive treatment.
Since there is no public outcry, therefore, no political will to address it. We must do better for all Asian Pacific Americans at risk and affected by Hepatitis B.
I join many others in asking the CDC why they have not allocated for funds for fighting Hepatitis B — as Ted Fang and Fiona Ma’s statement above notes, the CDC has only allocated $7.3 million for this effort when it should be several times that amount to really be effective. Hepatitis B is a disease that affects Americans from all backgrounds although Asian Americans are at particular risk.
Considering the growing population of Asian Americans, along with the increasingly frequent and important transnational ties between Americans from all backgrounds and Asia, I urge the CDC, the Department of Health & Human Services, and all state and federal agencies involved to give efforts to fight Hepatitis B the attention and resources that it deserves.
As part of this blog’s mission of making academic research and data more easily accessible, understandable, and applicable to a wider audience and to practical, everyday social issues, I highlight new sociological books about Asian Americans and other racial/ethnic groups as I hear about them. A book’s inclusion is for informational purposes only and does not necessarily mean a full endorsement of its contents.
The topic of how Asians and Asian Americans are portrayed in the mainstream media and popular culture continues to be a hot topic of discussion and debate among Asian Americans and non-Asians as well. The following books shed some more light on this complex and multidimensional issue.
This volume highlights materials that receive little academic attention such as works on Southeast Asian migrants, mixed race cultural production, and Asian/American pornography. As an interdisciplinary anthology, this collection weaves together various forms of “knowledge”—autobiographical accounts, humanistic research, community-based work, and artistic expression. Responsive to the imbrication of knowledge and power, the authors aspire to present a diverse sample of discourses that construct Asian/American bodies. They maintain that the body serves as the primary interface between the individual and the social, yet, as Elizabeth Grosz noted over a decade ago, feminist theory, and gender and sexuality studies more generally, “has tended, with some notable exceptions, to remain uninterested in or unconvinced about the relevance of refocusing on bodies in accounts of subjectivity.” This volume attempts to address this concern.
Philippine cinema, the dream factory of the former U.S. colony, teems with American figures and plots. Local movies feature GIs seeking Filipina brides, cold war spies hunting down native warlords, and American-born Filipinos wandering in the parental homeland. The American landscape furnishes the settings for the triumphs and tragedies of Filipino nurses, GI babies, and migrant workers.
Through close readings of more than twenty Philippine movies, Capino demonstrates the postcolonial imagination’s vital role in generating pragmatic and utopian visions of living with empire. Illuminating an important but understudied cinema, he creates a model for understanding the U.S. image in the third world.
“Too often Hollywood cinema is reduced to a homogenized product. Fuller, while primarily tracing consistencies within the Hollywood product, also traces the heterogeneous nature of Hollywood’s output. Thus, she not only chooses Films in which Oriental characters are played by non-Orientals but has discovered Films in which the issues of disguise, masquerade, and even stereotyping are central.”
-– Tom Gunning, professor of cinema and media studies at the University of Chicago
“Fuller’s study of images of Asian Americans in film takes an insightful approach by examining the practice of performances in ‘yellowface’: white (or in rare cases, black) actors portraying Asian characters. Hollywood Goes Oriental makes a substantial contribution to the literature in Asian American studies.”
— Frank H. Wu, chancellor and dean at the University of California Hastings College of the Law
“Fuller’s discussion of cross-ethnic performance in Hollywood Films is long overdue. She adds valuable insights Go Film studies, ethnic studies, and gender studies, while her use of performance theory in the analysis in which ethnicity is viewed as a social construct that is expressed through the body–points to the possibility of new perspectives.”
— Jenny Lau, professor of cinema at San Francisco State University.
This collection examines transnational Asian American women characters in various fictional narratives. It analyzes how certain heroines who are culturally rooted in Asian regions have been transformed and re-imagined in America and have played significant roles in Asian American literary studies as well as community life. The interdisciplinary essays display refreshing perspectives in Asian American literary studies and transnational feminism from four continents.
No Safe Spaces looks at one of the most radical and enduring changes introduced during the Civil Rights era — multiracial and cross-racial casting practices in American theater. The move to cast Latino/a, African American, and Asian American actors in classic stage works by and about white Europeans and Americans is viewed as both social and political gesture and artistic innovation. Nontraditionally cast productions are shown to have participated in the national dialogue about race relations and ethnic identity and served as a source of renewed creativity for the staging of the canonical repertory.
Multiracial casting is explored first through its history, then through its artistic, political, and pragmatic dimensions. Next, the book focuses on case studies from the dominant genres of contemporary American theater: classical tragedy and comedy, modern domestic drama, antirealist drama, and the Broadway musical, using a broad array of archival source materials to enhance and illuminate its arguments.
Here are some more announcements, links, and job postings about academic-related jobs, fellowships, and other related opportunities for those interested in racial/ethnic/diversity issues. As always, the announcements and links are provided for informational purposes and do not necessarily imply an endorsement of the organization or college involved.
Call for Papers: Asian American Policy Review
Founded in 1989, the Asian American Policy Review (AAPR) at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government is the first non-partisan academic journal in the country dedicated to analyzing public policy issues facing Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI). Over the past 20 years, the AAPR has been one of the only academic journals in the country committed to bringing attention to the research and policy perspectives of scholars, activists, policymakers and other Asian American leaders.
The AAPR is now accepting submissions for its twenty-first edition, to be published in February 2011. The submission deadline is November 22, 2010. Submissions and questions should be emailed to to aapr@hks.harvard.edu. We strongly encourage submissions from writers of all backgrounds, including scholars, policy makers, civil servants, advocates, and organizers. We look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Uyen Doan and Tommy Tseng
Editors-in-Chief
Uyen T. Doan
Harvard University | Kennedy School of Government
Master in Public Policy Candidate, Class of 2011
uyen_doan@hks11.harvard.edu | 617-413-4820
Humanities/Ethnic Studies, Virginia Commonwealth University
To advance its ongoing humanities initiative, the College of Humanities and Sciences at Virginia Commonwealth University is searching for four tenure-eligible faculty (three assistant professors and one advanced assistant or associate professor; two in English, and two in another humanities unit such as African-American Studies, History, Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies, or World Studies (the administrative home to programs in Anthropology and World Cinema) with research and teaching interests in and potential to secure external funding in the areas of:
Transatlantic Studies
Theory and History of Media or Film
Medical Humanities
Ethnic Literatures of the United States with a focus on historical contexts
Gender and Sexuality Studies
Of particular interest are candidates who bring interdisciplinary and global perspectives in their work and who can contribute to the interdisciplinary PhD program in Media, Art, and Text (MATX). We seek candidates who possess disciplinary knowledge, theoretical acumen, and a mastery of the relevant cultural and historical contexts. Preference will be given to candidates with a clear research agenda, existing or potential to secure external funding and teaching experience in: new media, world cinema, slavery and the literature of the slavery debate, the African presence in Central and South America or the Middle East, Transnational Gender and Sexuality studies, Africa and the African Diaspora including its literature, and narrative medicine.
Qualifications expected of candidates include a PhD in an appropriate field in hand by January, 2011 and a record of or potential for excellence in scholarship. Demonstrated experience working in and fostering a diverse faculty, staff, and student environment or commitment to do so as a faculty member at VCU required. Applicants should e-mail (preferably as a single attachment) a letter of application, CV, and 3 letters of reference to the Search Chair, c/o Naomi Batten, battenne@vcu.edu. The application review process will begin on October 20, 2010. For full consideration, applications must be received prior to November 25, 2010. We will be available to interview at the MLA conference.
Asian American Studies, UC Davis
The Department of Asian American Studies at the University of California, Davis invites applications for a tenured or tenure-track position, to begin July 1, 2011. The position is open to all ranks. We seek an Asian American studies scholar, preferably in history or social sciences, with a Ph.D. in a relevant field who has expertise in interdisciplinary, comparative research. We are interested in a scholar who focuses on empire and colonialism with a specialization in two or more of the following areas: gender, sexuality, racialization, labor, citizenship, indigeneity, and transnationalism. Expertise in Filipino American and/or Asian Pacific Islander studies is also desirable, but we are open to other areas of concentration.
We seek a scholar with a strong record or clear potential for intellectually innovative and accomplished research within the field of Asian/Pacific Islander American studies; an excellent record of or potential for intellectual distinction and interdisciplinary expertise in the field of Asian/Pacific Islander American studies; demonstrated excellence or potential for departmental/university service and collaboration; demonstrated excellence or potential for teaching and curricular development in Asian/Pacific Islander American studies; and a commitment to and interest in collaborating with other academic units and graduate programs (e.g., cultural studies, social sciences, comparative race and ethnic studies, performance and media studies, language and literature departments).
Please submit a letter of application, a curriculum vita, and samples of written work (not more than 50 pages) as PDF or MS Word compatible files, and three letters of reference to AsianAmericanStudies@ucdavis.edu. If letters of recommendation cannot be sent electronically, please mail hard copies to: Department of Asian American Studies, Attn: Search Committee, University of California-Davis, One Shields Ave., Davis, CA 95616. Review of applications begins on December 8, 2010 and continues until the position is filled.
Undergraduate Research Program, UNC Chapel Hill
The Moore Undergraduate Research Apprentice Program (MURAP) invites applications for a ten-week paid summer research internship for undergraduate students (rising juniors or seniors). The program will be held from May 22-July 28, 2011 at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
The MURAP program seeks to prepare talented and motivated students from racially and ethnically diverse backgrounds, or those with a proven commitment to diversity, for graduate study and academic careers in fields in the humanities, social sciences and fine arts. The program provides students with a rigorous research experience under the guidance of a UNC faculty mentor. Each student participant will receive:
* Stipend
* Campus Housing
* Meal Allowance
* Weekly or biweekly writing, communication skills and professional development workshops
* GRE prep course
* Paid domestic travel expenses (up to $500)
The application deadline is February 4, 2011. For more details about MURAP please visit our website or contact the Program’s Administrative Assistant, Ms. Kendra McKinney (mckendra@email.unc.edu).
In case you’re the nostalgic type, here are some posts in this blog from November of years past:
2009: The U.S. and China: A Love-Hate Relationship President Obama’s trip to Asia highlights some of the contradictory, love-hate sentiments that many Americans and its institutions seem to have with Asians/Asian Americans.
2007: Big Plans for Little Saigons Debate around plans for the two largest Little Saigon communities in the U.S. highlight struggles to maintain ethnic solidarity among Vietnamese Americans.
2005: China Attracting U.S. Scholars China’s big push to recruit U.S. academics to help build up their universities to eventually rival the best from around the world.
2004: Inter-Asian Sentiments Examples from popular culture in both Japan and South Korea illustrate the contradictory nature of inter-ethnic relations between Asians of different ethnic groups.
As part of this blog’s ongoing mission of making academic research and data more easily accessible, understandable, and applicable to a wider audience, and for readers who like to keep on top of the latest sociological research, I highlight new research and studies in academic journals about Asian Americans and other racial/ethnic groups as I hear about them. An article’s inclusion is for informational purposes only and does not necessarily mean a full endorsement of its complete contents.
The following articles focus on emerging issues related to Asian Australians and their transnational connections with Asian Americans.
The UCLA Asian American Studies Center Press announces Amerasia Journal’s latest issue: “Asian Australia and Asian America: Making Transnational Connections.” Guest edited by Jacqueline Lo, Dean Chan, and Tseen Khoo, with former Center Director Don T. Nakanishi of UCLA, the issue connects scholars, writers, and cultural critics working in Asian American Studies with their counterparts in Asian Australian Studies. The issue provides a full sampling of topics from community politics to local film, media, and literature.
In his introductory essay, Don T. Nakanishi illuminates the important demographic, political, and historical conditions that have shaped Asian Australia and the possibilities for comparative approaches with Asian American Studies. . . The issue offers a transnational study of similarities and differences between Asian Australia and Asian America. As the guest editors write, “By bringing Asian America and Asian Australia together in conversation in this volume, we hope to provide new insights into the study of Asian diasporas in western developed societies that go beyond the dominant perspective of Asian diasporics as domestic(ated) racialized minority subjects within the nation-state.”
The issue is capped by commentaries from Ien Ang and Henry Yu on the significance of transnational perspectives to the Asian diaspora from Australian and North American vantage points. The topics covered in this special issue include:
Local Community Politics
This section explores the relationship between local politics and transnational identities from various perspectives. These include Ashley Carruthers’s anthropological study of Lao Australians, a discussion of diasporic Vietnamese literature by Scott Brook and Caitlin Nunn, and Audrey Yue’s detailed account of the production of underground “westie” martial arts films in the suburbs of Melbourne and Sydney. The essays reveal the way working-class Lao immigrants view their homeland as more cosmopolitan than the Australian neighborhoods in which they now live or how “westie” films enable Vietnamese Australian youths an opportunity to self-fashion their identities in ways that challenge both Australian and ethnic ideologies of masculinity.
Indigenous/Asian Relations
Jacqueline Lo and visual artist Mayu Kanamori elaborate on the ways in which Asian Australians, Aboriginal Australians, and Anglo Australians are represented through the arts. Lo discusses the dramatic production Burning Daylight, which explores Asian-Indigenous encounters that are typically left out of official Australian histories. Kanamori provides a powerful personal narrative that looks at the issue of settlement from Japanese immigrant and Aboriginal points of view.
Comparative Asian Diasporas
Olivia Khoo, Kim Cheng Boey, and Iyko Day do comparative work on Asian Australian Studies and Asian American Studies. Khoo’s novel concept of the “shrimp Western” explores the influence of American movie genre par excellence, the Western, on Asian Australian films, raising questions on how to define minority cinemas. Kim Cheng Boey examines the complexities of poetics by immigrant poets, comparing the returns to Malaysia, both physical and psychological, in the works of Chinese Australian poet Ee Tiang Hong and Chinese American writer and scholar Shirley Lim Geok-lin. Iyko Day compares the experiences of internment endured by Japanese Americans, Japanese Canadians, and Japanese Australians.
Literature and Arts from Asian Australia
Amerasia is pleased to include the writings and mixed media work of some of Asian Australia’s leading artists. In addition to Mayu Kanamori’s discussion of her photographic series, this issue features “Cocooning,” a short story by award-winning author Simone Lazaroo, and a poem “This is where it begins,” by acclaimed writer Merlinda Bobis. Thought-provoking images are provided by Matt Huynh and Jason Wing.
I presume that by now, you don’t need me to summarize how the Republican Party made significant gains in the House of Representatives along with state and local races around the country. Instead and in keeping with this site and blog’s main focus, below is a brief summary of how some Asian American candidates (both Democratic and Republican) fared around the country this past week (feel free to add more information and updates about other Asian American candidates not listed here in the ‘Comments’ section). For a more complete list of Asian American candidates, see APIAVote.
Indian American Nikki Haley is New South Carolina Governor
Staunch conservative and Tea Party-backed Republican Nikki Haley (her parents are both Sikh immigrants from India) becomes South Carolina’s new governor, joining Louisiana’s Bobby Jindal as the second Indian American governor in the U.S.
Vietnamese American Joseph Cao Ousted from LA Seat
“Cao [the first Vietnamese American ever elected to Congress] cast himself as a bipartisan friend of Democratic President Barack Obama. But votes against two key Obama initiatives, the economic stimulus and health care overhaul, were among Richmond’s attack points in a mostly Democratic district that supported Obama for president.”
Hansen Clarke and Colleen Hanabusa Win House Races
“Hansen Clarke[MI, Democrat] will be sworn in as the first Bangladeshi American to serve in the US Congress. Trained as both a fine artist and a lawyer, he has two decades of experience serving the state of Michigan as a legislator. . . . Colleen Hanabusa [HI, Democrat] is a national trailblazer in her own right, as she is the first woman to preside over either chamber of the Hawai’i State Legislature, and the first Asian-American or Pacific Islander woman in the nation to preside over a state legislative body.”
Jean Quan Elected as Oakland’s New Mayor
“City Councilwoman Jean Quan won the final tally Wednesday in Oakland’s ranked-choice mayoral election, capping a dramatic eight days in which she came from behind and surged to victory because she had more second- and third-place votes than rival Don Perata.”
Filipino American Tani Cantil-Sakauye Elected as California’s New Supreme Court Chief Justice
“Cantil-Sakauye, daughter of a Filipina farm worker and a Filipino-Portuguese plantation worker, thus made history as the first Asian-American, and also the youngest jurist, to hold the highest position in any state judiciary in the United States.”
Vietnamese American Candidates Generally Fare Poorly
“Across the country, except for a few bright spots, most Viet candidates fall flat, losing their races, sometimes spectacularly. Now, of course, there is such a thing as a “Vietnamese bounce†– late absentee ballots cast mostly by Vietnamese – which has caused people to sometimes prematurely announce the death of some campaigns. But, from the way things look, even the ‘Vietnamese bounce’ won’t help this time.”
Indian American Amil Bera Loses CA House of Representatives Race
“[Democratic candidate] Bera took the stage . . . Tuesday night like a rock star. About 250 supporters — Sikhs, Hindus, Christians, Muslims, California Native Americans, Asian Americans, African Americans, Caucasians young and old chanted ‘Bera! Bera! Bera!’ Bera, who lost to [incumbent Republican] Lungren 51 percent to 43 percent told The Bee, ‘We are winners – look at the enthusiasm in this room. As the son of immigrants who came here in the 1950s, this is the culmination of the American dream.'”
Kamala Harris Leads in Contest for CA Attorney General
“With nearly 7 million ballots counted, Democrat Harris, daughter of an Indian mother and African-American father, was holding a lead of fewer than 38,000 votes over Republican Steve Cooley in the race for state attorney general. But with thousands of late absentee and provisional ballots remaining uncounted, she has not been declared a winner. If her victory holds, Harris would become the first Indian-African-American and first woman ever to hold the job of California attorney general.”
Here are some more announcements about academic-related jobs, fellowships, and other related opportunities for those interested in racial/ethnic/diversity issues (listed in order of application deadline). As always, the announcements and links are provided for informational purposes only and do not necessarily imply an endorsement of the organization or college involved.
Sociology, University of Missouri St. Louis
The Department of Anthropology, Sociology and Languages at the University of Missouri, St. Louis invites applicants for a 2-year full-time Visiting Assistant Professor/Visiting Assistant NTT Teaching Professor position starting January 2011.
We seek candidates with combined teaching and research interests in Sociology who do comparative work on racialized groups (particularly African American, Latino/a, and/or Asian American) with expertise in urban sociology, wealth and poverty, minority group relations, social stratification, sociology of power, and/or public/social policy.
Candidates seeking consideration for Visiting Assistant Professor will have responsibilities that include five courses annually, and an active research agenda. Candidates seeking consideration for Visiting Assistant NTT Teaching Professor will have responsibilities that include seven courses annually.
All candidates are expected to support the Sociology Department’s core curriculum and the University’s general education program, as well as offer some core courses in her/his areas of specialization that contribute to Sociology’s BA and BS degrees. Promise of teaching excellence required. PhD preferably completed by December 2010. To learn more about the department, faculty, staff and students visit
How to Apply:
Applicants should submit the following materials electronically in MS Word or PDF formats to Jim Karslake, (jkarslake@umsl.edu) and be addressed to Pamela Ashmore, Chair, Department of Anthropology, Sociology and Languages:
Letter of application
Curriculum Vitae
Graduate Transcripts
Separate statements on: teaching and research
Writing Sample
Three letters of reference
Sample syllabi
Statement that explains how you will engage multiple perspectives in your teaching and contribute to our institutional and departmental commitments to social responsibility
Review of applications by the Sociology Search Committee will commence November 30 2010 and will continue until the position is filled.
Sociology, Quinnipiac University
The Department of Sociology, in Quinnipiac University’s College of Arts and Sciences, invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor position in Sociology, beginning in Fall 2011. The successful candidate must have a PhD in Sociology by the time of appointment and must have the ability to teach immigration and urban sociology. The appointee will teach other courses in the department and may be expected to teach in the University Curriculum.
Candidates must show evidence of dynamic teaching as well as professional and scholarly activity. The appointee will join a department that currently offers undergraduate majors in Sociology, Social Services, Gerontology, and Criminal Justice, as well as a minor in Anthropology. Salary and benefits are competitive.
Quinnipiac University is a private, coeducational institution in Hamden, Connecticut, conveniently located between New York City and
Boston. The University has over 300 full-time faculty and enrolls 5,900 full-time undergraduate and 2,000 graduate students. Quinnipiac University has a strong commitment to the principles and practices of diversity throughout the university community and we welcome candidates who would enhance that diversity.
Please submit only a letter of interest and curriculum vitae that includes the contact information for three references online at https://careers.quinnipiac.edu. To ensure full consideration, applications should be received by December 1, 2010.
Women’s/Asian American Studies, Penn State University
Penn State University, University Park, PA, Women’s Studies Post-Doctoral Position with Specialization in Asian/Asian American Studies.
The Department of Women’s Studies at Penn State University welcomes applications for a one-year post-doctoral position to begin August 2011. We seek candidates with demonstrated research and teaching abilities in women/gender studies with a sub-specialty in Asian/Asian American Studies. Preference will be given to candidates with a disciplinary background in history or candidates whose research and teaching reflect strong historical approaches. We are most interested in candidates with a Ph.D at the time of appointment however ABDs who are close to completion will be considered. The position is in the Department of Women’s Studies, with the possibility of teaching courses in Asian Studies. The teaching load is 2/2.
Applications should include a letter describing research and teaching plans, complete curriculum vitae, writing sample, and the address and email of three referees. Applicants should request that the letters of reference be forwarded directly at the time of application. All materials should be sent to Ms. Amy Larimer, Women’s Studies Program, 133 Willard Building, Penn State University, University Park PA. 16802 by January 14, 2011.
The Women’s and Gender Studies Department, in collaboration with the Institute for Research on Women (IRW) at Rutgers University, is pleased to announce a two-year postdoctoral fellowship supported by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The selected fellow will receive a stipend of $50,000 each year as well as an annual research allocation of $2,000 and Rutgers University health benefits. The fellow will pursue research and teach three courses in the Women’s and Gender Studies Department during the two-year term of her/his appointment. The fellow also will participate in seminars and other activities organized by the IRW.
The Women’s and Gender Studies Department has particular interest in scholars of Asian-American Feminist Studies; Feminist Science Studies; New Media, Arts and Technology; Religion, Sexuality, and Gender; and Gendered Violence but welcomes applications from all scholars who feel that their work would benefit from affiliation with our department and with the IRW.
Candidates should submit their applications, consisting of a CV, a 2500-word description of their research and its significance, and 3 letters of recommendation, electronically at: https://secure.sas.rutgers.edu/apps/facsearch/ (search for listing under “Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowship†for each participating department). Applications must be received by January 17, 2011. Candidates must have received the Ph.D. after August 31, 2006; applicants must have finished all requirements for the Ph.D. by June 1, 2011.
Questions? E-mail Leslie Fishbein, Chair, Women’s and Gender Studies Department or Sarah Tobias, Associate Director, Institute for Research on Women.
Post-Doc in Asian American Studies, University of Illinois
The Asian American Studies Program (AASP) at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (Illinois) seeks two postdoctoral fellows for the 2011-2012 academic year, pending approval of funding.
Applicants should conduct research germane to Asian American studies. Proposed research projects should have the potential to make a significant contribution to the field. Postdoctoral fellows are expected to be in Champaign-Urbana in residence for the 2011-2012 year. During their stay at Illinois, postdoctoral fellows will be expected to participate in research, teaching, and service. While research and participation in the intellectual life of the program is the primary responsibility, fellows will be expected to teach a course in Asian American Studies. The specific teaching duties will be decided in consultation with the Director.
The stipend for 2011-2012 year will be $42,000. In addition, $5,000 will be provided for research, travel, and related expenses. Full fringe benefits will be available during the 12-month appointment period. The program will provide the fellow with office space and routine office support for photocopying, faxing, mailing, etc. A doctoral degree, in hand, is required by July 16, 2011. Preference will be given to applicants who have completed their degrees in the past five years. Both postdoctoral fellowships will begin on August 16, 2011, are for one year, and are non-renewable.
To apply, candidates should submit four collated application packets. Each packet should include a curriculum vita, a statement of the research project to be undertaken during the fellowship year, and a sample of scholarly writing (10-25 pages). Official graduate transcripts and three letters of recommendation (including one letter from the dissertation advisor) should be sent directly to the Program to complete the file. Application material should be sent to: Post Doc Review Committee, Asian American Studies Program, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1208 West Nevada Street, MC 142, Urbana, IL 61801.
To guarantee full consideration, application materials should be submitted to the AASP office by 5:00 p.m. on February 25, 2011. For further information: Contact the Asian American Studies Program at (217) 244-9530 or aasp@illinois.edu.
Did you know that November is American Indian & Alaskan Native Heritage Month? Asian Americans share much in common with our Native American Indian and Alaskan brothers and sisters, not just in terms of social and cultural solidarity, but also similar anthropological ancestors as well. To celebrate their heritage, the U.S. Census Bureau has some a fact sheet with some interesting statistics:
The first American Indian Day was celebrated in May 1916 in New York. Red Fox James, a Blackfeet Indian, rode horseback from state to state, getting endorsements from 24 state governments, to have a day to honor American Indians. In 1990, President George H.W. Bush signed a joint congressional resolution designating November 1990 as “National American Indian Heritage Month.”
4.9 million
As of July 1, 2008, the estimated population of American Indians and Alaska Natives, including those of more than one race. They made up 1.6 percent of the total population.
29.7
Median age of the American Indian and Alaska Native population in 2008, younger than the median of 36.8 for the population as a whole. About 30 percent of American Indians and Alaska Natives were younger than 18, and 8 percent were 65 and older.
5
Number of states where American Indians and Alaska Natives were the largest race or ethnic minority group in 2008. These states are Alaska, Montana, North Dakota, Oklahoma and South Dakota.
18%
The proportion of Alaska’s population identified as American Indian and Alaska Native as of July 1, 2008, the highest rate for this race group of any state. Alaska was followed by Oklahoma (11 percent) and New Mexico (11 percent).
29%
Percentage of American Indians and Alaska Natives 5 and older who spoke a language other than English at home.
$37,815
The median income of households from the 2008 American Community Survey where the householder reported being American Indian and Alaska Native and no other race.
24.2%
The 2008 poverty rate of people who reported they were American Indian and Alaska Native and no other race.
$26.9 billion
Receipts for American Indian- and Alaska Native-owned businesses in 2002. These businesses numbered 201,387.
In addition, the Association of College & Research Libraries has also compiled a very useful list of internet sites and resources related to the Native American Indian population and their history, contributions, and experiences. Below are a few of the websites that I found particularly interesting:
