LibGuides: Asian Studies: Welcome!

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Welcome to the Asian Studies research guide. Here you will find information about finding databases, books and reference materials, and course guides related to the study of Asian religions, cultures, and history. You may also want to reference the Sociology research guide for additional information.

Commonly used resources:

Asian American Drama This link opens in a new window Brings together more than 250 plays, along with related biographical, production, and theatrical information. The collection begins with the works of Sadakichi Hartmann in the late nineteenth century and progresses to the writings of contemporary playwrights. The plays address important historical events such as railroad construction, Japanese American internment, and the Vietnam conflict, and sociological issues such as assimilation, integration, and cultural identity in a Western context. Terms of Use. Coverage: Late 19th century-present.
Asian Film Online: Volume 1 This link opens in a new window A comprehensive repository of documentaries, feature films, and shorts that provides a first-hand perspective into contemporary Asian issues through the voices of Asian filmmakers and content producers. Terms of Use. Coverage: 1938-present.
Kanopy This link opens in a new window Streaming films and documentaries from Criterion Collection, Kino Lorber, The Great Courses, and Psychotherapy.net. Titles have full transcripts, and users may create accounts to create clips and playlists. NOTICE: Once logged in, faculty may request additional films on https://www.kanopy.com/search, which will be considered on a case-by-case basis in accordance with the Streaming Video Policy. Terms of Use. Coverage: 1894-present.

Suggested Books in Asian Studies

The Model Minority Stereotype

Researchers, higher education administrators, and high school and university students desire a sourcebook like The Model Minority Stereotype: Demystifying Asian American Success. This book will assist readers in locating research and literature on the model minority stereotype. This sourcebook is composed of an annotated bibliography on the stereotype that Asian Americans are successful. The most powerful resource for scholars to use and teachers to read must not simply duplicate what others (and previous literature) have written about, but must challenge it. Each chapter in The Model Minority Stereotype is thematic and challenges the model minority stereotype. Consisting of ten chapters, this book is the most comprehensive book written on the model minority myth to date.

Asian American X

This refreshing and timely collection of coming-of-age essays, edited and written by young Asian Americans, powerfully captures the joys and struggles of their evolving identities as one of the fastest-growing groups in the nation and poignantly depicts the many oft-conflicting ties they feel to both American and Asian cultures. The essays also highlight the vast cultural diversity within the category of Asian American, yet ultimately reveal how these young people are truly American in their ideals and dreams.

Asian American Sexual Politics

Asian American Sexual Politics explores the topics of beauty, self-esteem, and sexual attraction among Asian Americans. The book draws on sixty in-depth interviews to show how constructions of Asian American gender and sexuality tend to reinforce the social and political dominance for whites, particularly white males, even in the supposed “post-racial” United States.

Asian American Education

Asian American Education--Asian American Identities, Racial Issues, and Languages presents groundbreaking research that critically challenges the invisibility, stereotyping, and common misunderstandings of Asian Americans by disrupting "customary" discourse and disputing "familiar" knowledge. The chapters in this anthology provide rich, detailed evidence and interpretations of the status and experiences of Asian American students, teachers, and programs in K-12 and higher education, including struggles with racism and other race-related issues. This material is authored by nationally-prominent scholars as well as highly-regarded emerging researchers. As a whole, this volume contributes to the deconstruction of the image of Asian Americans as a model minority and at the same time reconstructs theories to explain their diverse educational experiences.

Asian American Studies Now

Asian American Studies Now truly represents the enormous changes occurring in Asian American communities and the world, changes that require a reconsideration of how the interdisciplinary field of Asian American studies is defined and taught. This comprehensive anthology, arranged in four parts and featuring a stellar group of contributors, summarizes and defines the current shape of this rapidly changing field, addressing topics such as transnationalism, U.S. imperialism, multiracial identity, racism, immigration, citizenship, social justice, and pedagogy.