Message from the Director
Message from the Associate Director, September 2009
Welcome! I am honored to write to you on behalf of the Asian American Studies Institute as the recently appointed Associate Director. I humbly follow in the footsteps of founding director Roger Buckley, whose vision, commitment, and dedication has given rise to one of the premier Asian American Studies programs on the East Coast.
Founded in 1993, the Asian American Studies Institute at the University of Connecticut continues its initial charge to intellectually and pedagogically engage with the ever-growing, ever-changing field of Asian American Studies. Situated at the intersection of human rights, civil rights, and activism, the Institute’s academic goals are reflected in the work of its nationally-known faculty, whose research highlights the heterogeneity of the field. From transnational analyses of race and religion to contemporary examinations of Asian American visual culture, from the Japanese Canadian internment to Cambodian American genocide remembrance, the work of the Institute faculty reflect a commitment to interdisciplinary research. Mindful that the Asian American experience is necessarily shaped by Asia, faculty research is characterized by the examination of Asian American Studies through a transnational lens. The fruits of this intellectual labor can be found on this web site, which includes announcements of both published and forthcoming work.
With an active research faculty, the Institute is also dedicated to marrying theory and practice, which foregrounds the variety of Asian American Studies courses offered through the Institute. With an interdisciplinary minor, the Institute offers elective and general education courses cross-listed in Asian American studies, Women’s studies, Art History, Sociology, English, History, and Human Rights. The Institute faculty has been recognized for both excellence in teaching and service.
The Institute supplements its teaching and research initiatives with programs that link campus to community. The annual Ahimsa Lecture, Nazrul Conference, and Day of Remembrance Speaker series make visible the Institute’s dedication to developing community dialogues. This year, the Institute is renewing its focus on human rights with its Domestic Worker Rights Initiative. This initiative, in collaboration with Women’s Studies, Puerto Rican and Latino Studies, and African American Studies will culminate in a March conference that brings together activists and scholars invested in human rights work “at home.” To supplement this initiative, the Institute’s programming for 2009-2010 will reflect a larger focus on labor, human rights, and activism.
Thus, 2009-2010 promises to be a provocative and productive year for the Institute. I invite you to explore the website, which contains information on current research, courses taught, outside research initiatives (including the Fred Ho Research Fellowship). And, we will be updating the site to reflect developing initiatives. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions, and I wish you the best in the upcoming academic year.
Sincerely,
Cathy J. Schlund-Vials, Ph.D.
Associate Director, Asian American Studies Institute
University of Connecticut