A disscussion based on materials list under - 400 words +
Before you start – there will be two to three more assignment that is relative to this one. I will post those in the future as well.
400 words +
Please remeber that I am a Chinese Girl. Keep in mind when writing the assignment
- Read the following 2 chapters from Cultural Compass: Ethnographic Explorations of Asian America, Temple University Press, 2000.
- p. 1-6, “Introduction: The Ethnography of Asian America: Notes Toward a Thick Description,” Martin Manalansan. (Stop at p. 6, just before the section entitled, “Organization of the Book: Critical Themes.”
- p. 17-37, “Performing Ethnography in Asian American Communities: Beyond the Insider-versus-Outsider Perspective,” Linda Trinh Vo.
- Read the following 1 chapter from Asian America: Forming New Communities, Expanding Boundaries edited by Huping Ling:
- p. 1-12, “Introduction: Reconceptualizing Asian American Communities” by Huping Ling. (Stop at the section “Context of the Book.”
- Read at least TWO stories from First Days Project, (Links to an external site.) a project of South Asian American Digital Archive.
- Read at least TWO stories from Mother of All Stories (Links to an external site.), a project of Asian Women United.
- Watch at least TWO videos from Immigrant Stories, (Links to an external site.) a project of the University of Minnesota.
- Optional: Browse the Center for Asian American Media (Links to an external site.) website and browse this month’s streaming videos…feel free to watch a film, though it is not required viewing.
- Read any ONE of the following ethnographic/research essay:
- “Building a Community Center: Filipinas/os in San Francisco’s Excelsior Neighborhood,” Allyson Tintiangco-Cubales.
- “Collateral Damage: Southeast Asian Poverty in the United States,” Eric Tang.
- “Ethnic Solidarity in a Divided Community: A Study on Bridging Organizations in Koreatown,” Angie Y. Chung.
- “Searching for Community: Filipino Gay Men in New York City,” Martin Manalansan.
- “Social Production/Reproduction: Second Generation Asian Indian Youths as Sources of Upclassing,” Rupam Saran.
- “Tracing the Red Thread: Chinese-U.S. Transnational Adoption and the Legacies of ‘Home,'” Frayda Cohen.
- “Transforming an Ethnic Community: Little Saigon, Orange County,” Linda Trinh Vo.
- “Youth Culture, Citizenship, and Globalization: South Asian Muslim Youth in the United States After September 11,” Sunaina Mair.
- To see examples of photo narratives, read and view the samples listed below.
Sample Photo Narratives:
A Tribute to Japanese American Migrant Workers (Links to an external site.) from the Densho organization (Links to an external site.).
- This photo narrative–celebrating International Worker’s Day by paying tribute to Japanese coastal workers before World War II–tells the story of Japanese immigrants and the conditions of their labor across the different occupations in which they found work.
14 Powerful Portraits Showing the Diversity of Asian-American Feminists (Links to an external site.) by Tiffany Diane Tso with photos by Marion Aguas, Vice.
- This photo narrative–through personal profiles of 14 individuals–introduces the relatively new organization called Asian American Feminist Collective and presents a story of Asian American feminism as a reframing of Asian American activism.
Inside New York’s Oldest Store in Chinatown – A Photo Essay (Links to an external site.) by Tim Knox, The Guardian.
- This photo narrative–documenting the history of the oldest store in New York’s Chinatown–tells the story of organizing efforts to fight for Chinatown’s multi-generational community in the face of displacement and gentrification.
The Mississippi Delta Chinese: An Audiovisual Narrative (Links to an external site.)by Andrew Kung and Emanuel Hahn, photographers and artists.
- This audio-visual narrative–through interviews with 16 individuals–tells the history of the Delta Chinese and their contribution to Mississippi communities.
14 Photos That Show the Original Asian American Resistance (Links to an external site.) by Brittany Wong, HuffPost.
- This photo narrative–describing an exhibit at the Los Angeles Chinese American Museum–tells the story of the radicalizing effect of the Asian American movement between the 1960s-80s and the concurrent emergence of the term “model minority.
Discussion 7 Talking Points
This week’s posting is meant as an initial “research plan” in preparation for the Photo Narrative, the final assignment of this class.
For this discussion, I am asking you to come up with a topic and a corresponding Asian American community that you want to understand better (=research). This topic and community will serve as the basis for your Photo Narrative. If you need to revise your topic and the corresponding community later on, that’s okay. But, I do want you to start thinking seriously about the research you will need to do for the Photo Narrative. This research plan will be the basis of research you will do on your topic and in the Asian American community you have chosen to research.
- Your Reactions: Share your reactions to this week’s readings and videos.
- Topical Question: What does this week’s readings and videos impress upon you in terms of how to go about studying an Asian American community? (Discuss specific ideas, methodologies, themes, approaches, etc. that you think will guide you as you conduct your research.)
- Personal Connection: Thinking ahead about your Photo Narrative, what is one possible topic or which Asian American community do you want to understand better (that is, research)? Summarize the topic by addressing the following:
- Research Question: What would be the main research question for the topic that you would like to research? That is, what do you want to be able to answer once you’ve learned more though your research? (You can have a main research question and also supporting research questions.)
- Defining the Community You are Researching: How would you define the Asian American community that you want to research for your chosen topic? (This week’s readings are a good source of examples of how scholars define the Asian American community they have chosen to understand better. For instance, you can define an Asian American community according to a combination of boundaries: geographic location, immigrant generation, ethnicity, age, gender, socio-economic class, religion, common interest, etc.) The more specific the easier it may be to identify who to observe and interview.
- Research Methods: What are some research methods you would use to conduct your study in order to answer your research question? (You will be required to conduct interviews and take photos, at the very minimum.) Additional research methods can include: ethnographic observation, participation in activities, short survey, etc.
- Central Ideas from the Course: What might be the 3-5 key terms/themes/concepts/arguments from the course so far that would be most appropriate and important for how you think about your topic?
- Research Location: To conduct the research on your topic, where specifically would you go to study the Asian American community you’ve chosen? What specifically would you in that location for your research?
- Interview Subjects: To conduct the research for your topic, who specifically would you talk to or interviewto collect information for answering your research question? And what is the general line of questions you would ask? You are required to include findings from two interviews for the Photo Narrative.