Asian American Studies

Asian American Studies

episodes

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

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 …

Dafeng Xu, "Chinatown: San Francisco's 1906 Earthquake and the Paradox of American Immigration Policy" (JHU Press, 2026)

February 4, 2026

Chinatown

Dafeng Xu
Hosted by Miranda Melcher

San Francisco's Chinatown is the oldest Chinatown in North America and one of the largest Chinese enclaves outside Asia. Spanning 30 city blocks and h…

LiLi Johnson, "Technologies of Kinship: Asian American Racialization and the Making of Family" (NYU Press, 2025)

January 28, 2026

Technologies of Kinship

LiLi Johnson
Hosted by Ailin Zhou

Delving into the complex interplay of race, kinship, and technology, Technologies of Kinship: Asian American Racialization and the Making of Family (N…

Jenny Banh, "Fantasies of Hong Kong Disneyland: Attempted Indigenizations of Space, Labor, and Consumption" (Rutgers UP, 2025)

January 25, 2026

Fantasies of Hong Kong Disneyland

Jenny Banh
Hosted by Donna Anderson

Fantasies of Hong Kong Disneyland: Attempted Indigenizations of Space, Labor, and Consumption (Rutgers UP, 2025) examines the attempt to transplant Di…

Kong Pheng Pha, "Queering the Hmong Diaspora: Racial Subjectivity and the Myth of Hyperheterosexuality" (U Washington Press, 2025)

January 25, 2026

Queering the Hmong Diaspora

Kong Pheng Pha
Hosted by Donna Anderson

This episode features Dr. Kong Pheng Pha discussing his recently published book, Queering the Hmong Diaspora: Racial Subjectivity and the Myth of Hype…

George Fisher, "Beware Euphoria: The Moral Roots and Racial Myths of America's War on Drugs" (Oxford UP, 2024)

January 24, 2026

Beware Euphoria

George Fisher
Hosted by Emily Dufton

George Fisher, the Judge John Crown Professor of Law at Stanford Law School, just released his new book Beware Euphoria: The Moral Roots and Racial My…

Scott A. Mitchell, "The Making of American Buddhism" (Oxford UP, 2023)

December 30, 2025

The Making of American Buddhism

Scott A. Mitchell
Listen:

Scott A. Mitchell is the Dean of Students and Faculty Affairs and holds the Yoshitaka Tamai Professorial Chair at the Institute of Buddhist Studies in…

Jean Pfaelzer, "California, a Slave State" (Yale UP, 2023)

December 29, 2025

California, a Slave State

Jean Pfaelzer
Hosted by Shu Wan
Listen:

California owes its origins and sunny prosperity to slavery. Spanish invaders captured Indigenous people to build the chain of Catholic missions. Russ…

Yunxiang Gao, "Arise Africa, Roar China: Black and Chinese Citizens of the World in the Twentieth Century" (UNC Press, 2021)

November 8, 2025

Arise Africa, Roar China

Yunxiang Gao

Arise Africa, Roar China: Black and Chinese Citizens of the World in the Twentieth Century (University of North Carolina Press, 2021) explores the clo…