Asian American Studies

Asian American Studies

episodes

Interviews with scholars of Asian America about about their new books.

Multiracial Mandarin: Asian Americans and Impossible Language with David Shuang Song (U of Minnesota Press, 2026)

October 17, 2026

Multiracial Mandarin

David Shuang Song
Hosted by Miranda Melcher

Who has the “right” to learn Mandarin Chinese? In Multiracial Mandarin: Asian Americans and Impossible Language (U Minnesota Press, 2026), Dr. David S…

Racist by Design: Two Centuries of U.S. Immigration Control with Kelly Lytle Hernández (Norton, 2026)

October 3, 2026

Racist by Design

Kelly Lytle Hernández
Hosted by Michael Stauch

Kelly Lytle Hernández joins Michael Stauch to discuss how the US immigration system has always been “racist by design.” Many Americans’ understanding …

Christopher B. Patterson, "Domesticating Brown: Movements of Racial Imagination" (Duke UP, 2026)

September 14, 2026

Domesticating Brown

Christopher B. Patterson
Hosted by Donna Anderson

This episode features a conversation with Dr. Christopher B. Patterson, Professor of the Social Justice Institute at the University of British Columbi…

Nancy Yunhwa Rao, "Inside Chinese Theater: Community and Artistry in Nineteenth Century California and Beyond" (U Illinois Press, 2025)

August 31, 2026

Inside Chinese Theater

Nancy Yunhwa Rao
Hosted by Kristen Turner

The first large number of Chinese immigrants began arriving in the United States in the 1840s, and Chinese opera troupes were not far behind. In Insid…

WE HEREBY REFUSE: Japanese American Resistance to Wartime Incarceration with Bruce Rutledge

August 19, 2026

WE HEREBY REFUSE

Bruce Rutledge

John talks to Bruce Rutledge, founder of Chin Music Press, about running an independent Asia-focused press, the origins of the company in Tokyo, and t…

Daniel Byman, "American Pogroms: How Forgotten Massacres Shape America" (Oxford UP, 2026)

August 14, 2026

American Pogroms

Daniel Byman
Hosted by Caleb Zakarin

Amidst heightened rhetoric and increasing polarization in the United States, American Pogroms: How Forgotten Massacres Shape America (Oxford Universit…

Jinwon Kim, "Koreatown, NYC: The Consumption of a Transnational Brand" (NYU Press, 2026)

July 30, 2026

Koreatown, NYC

Jinwon Kim
Hosted by Michael Johnston

How Manhattan's Koreatown functions as a new ethnic enclave In the past decade, Korean entertainment has gained global recognition, with Korean movie…

Rachel Phan, "Restaurant Kid: A Memoir of Family and Belonging" (Douglas & McIntyre, 2025)

July 11, 2026

Restaurant Kid

Rachel Phan
Hosted by Hollay Ghadery

In this NBN episode, host Hollay Ghadery speaks with Rachel Phan about her powerful memoir, Restaurant Kid: A Memoir of Family & Belonging (Douglas & …

Charlotte Brooks, "The Moys of New York and Shanghai: One Family’s Extraordinary Journey Through War and Revolution" (U California Press, 2026)

June 18, 2026

The Moys of New York and Shanghai

Charlotte Brooks
Hosted by Nicholas Gordon

The story of the Moy family—U.S.-born Chinese-American siblings who grow up in the first half of the 20th century—is one that spans the Pacific, cover…

The Diasporic Hindu Right with Savera

June 8, 2026

The Diasporic Hindu Right with Savera

Prachi Patankar and Ram Vishwanathan

This episode features a conversation with Prachi and Ram, organizers with Savera, a multiracial, interfaith, anti-caste coalition of Indian Americans …

Julie J. Park, "Race, Class, and Affirmative Action: College Admissions in a New Era" (Harvard Education Press, 2026)

May 31, 2026

Race, Class, and Affirmative Action

Julie J. Park
Hosted by Caleb Zakarin

In Race, Class, and Affirmative Action: College Admissions in a New Era (Harvard Education Press, 2026), Julie J. Park offers deft analysis of the cha…

Timothy K. August, "The Refugee Aesthetic: Reimagining Southeast Asian America" (Temple UP, 2020)

May 25, 2026

The Refugee Aesthetic

Timothy K. August
Hosted by Jennifer Lee

In The Refugee Aesthetic: Reimagining Southeast Asian America (Temple University Press, 2021), Timothy K. August centers Southeast Asian American writ…

Shane Breaux, "Reverberations of Culture: Racialized Performance in Early Twentieth-Century Musical Variety by Just a Buncha Clowns" (Routledge, 2026)

May 24, 2026

Reverberations of Culture

Shane Breaux
Hosted by Miranda Melcher

Reverberations of Culture: Racialized Performance in Early Twentieth-Century Musical Variety by Just a Buncha Clowns (Routledge, 2026) by Dr. Shane Br…

Thomas Xavier Sarmiento, "The Heartland of US Empire: Race, Region, and the Queer Filipinx Midwest" (Temple UP, 2026)

May 23, 2026

The Heartland of US Empire

Thomas Xavier Sarmiento
Hosted by Donna Anderson

Published by Temple University Press in 2026, The Heartland of US Empire: Race, Region, and the Queer Filipinx Midwest examines Filipinx cultural re…

Scott Kurashige, "American Peril: The Violent History of Anti-Asian Racism" (U California Press, 2026)

May 2, 2026

American Peril

Scott Kurashige
Hosted by Deidre Tyler

This probing account shines a new light on the problem of anti-Asian violence and inspires us to build lasting solidarity. During the COVID-19 pandem…

Yingyi Ma, "Ambitious and Anxious: How Chinese College Students Succeed and Struggle in American Higher Education" (Columbia UP, 2020)

April 15, 2026

Ambitious and Anxious

Yingyi Ma

In Ambitious and Anxious: How Chinese College Students Succeed and Struggle in American Higher Education (Columbia UP, 2020), sociologist Yingyi Ma of…

Lee Ann S. Wang, "The Violence of Protection: Policing, Immigration Law, and Asian American Women" (Duke UP, 2026)

April 1, 2026

The Violence of Protection

Lee Ann S. Wang
Hosted by Ailin Zhou

The Violence of Protection: Policing, Immigration Law, and Asian American Women (Duke UP, 2026) examines U.S. laws designed to rescue immigrant surviv…

Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese Food

March 30, 2026

Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese Food

Andrew Coe
Hosted by YIVO Institute

For many Ashkenazi Jews in the United States, Christmastime sparks memories of egg rolls and General Tso's chicken. How did the affinity for Chinese f…

Lisa Nakamura, "The Inattention Economy: How Women of Color Built the Internet" (U Minnesota Press, 2026)

March 18, 2026

The Inattention Economy

Lisa Nakamura
Hosted by Miranda Melcher

The Inattention Economy: How Women of Color Built the Internet (U Minnesota Press, 2026) by Dr. Lisa Nakamura challenges the widespread myth that the …

Guoqi Xu, "The Idea of China: A Contested History" (Harvard UP, 2026)

March 8, 2026

The Idea of China

Guoqi Xu
Hosted by Lucas Tse

What counts as China, and who counts as Chinese? China became a capitalist superpower by investing in globalization. Now that it has established its …