Claim OwnershipAsian American / Asian Research Institute (AAARI) - The City University of New York (CUNY)
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The Asian American / Asian Research Institute (AAARI) was established on November 19, 2001, by The City University of New York (CUNY) Board of Trustees, in a resolution introduced by Chancellor Matthew Goldstein. The Institute is a university-wide scholarly research and resource center that focuses on policies and issues that affect Asians and Asian Americans. It covers four areas: Asian American Studies; East Asian Studies; South Asian Studies; and Trade & Technology Studies.
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Prof. Jayashree Kambl will present on her essay in CUNY FORUM Volume 11:1, focusing on love and gender roles in the recent globally successful films Godzilla Minus One and Past Lives. Prof. Kambl delves into how Godzilla unexpectedly challenges traditional cinematic depictions of romance and gender, offering fresh perspectives on themes of identity and geocultural representation. Both films show how popular culture can shape our understanding of history, belonging, and societal dynamics. She also goes beyond the article to invite connections between the philosophy of romance in Past Lives and its Korean-Canadian-American director Celine Songs 2025 movie, Materialists.
Family Amnesia (Daylight Books, 2025) is a visual tribute and love letter honoring author Betty Yus Chinese American family roots in the United States. The art book explores her familys multi-generational resilience and resistance through mixed-media collages, her grandfathers photographs, and own captured images and archival material.
Prof. Zai Liang's presentation focuses on the substantial challenges faced by small businesses in Manhattan Chinatown and the subsequent transitions they have made in the post-Covid pandemic era. Attendees will gain insights into the key findings conducted during Summer 2025 by the specialized research team from SUNY Albany, in collaboration with the Chinatown Partnership Local Development Corporation.
Prof. Aleah Ranjitingh will present her research on Chinese-Caribbean immigrants in the United States, and the ways in which they understand self in terms of race and ethnicity. Centering on identity formation as persons of Chinese descent, but also with a distinct ethnic identity as voluntary immigrants from the Caribbean (Rogers 2001), Prof. Ranjitsingh is interested in interrogating: identity and identification choices in the U.S.; how and if Chinese-Caribbean immigrants understood and experienced anti-Asian hate and discrimination at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic; and if mixed race Chinese immigrants also maneuver mixedness and racial defaults (Barratt and Ranjitsingh 2001).
Japans global appeal is undeniablebut how well do official narratives match what international audiences actually want? Drawing on his role as a Cool Japan Producer for the Japanese Cabinet Office, Benjamin W. Boas highlights the need to shift from a government-branded Cool Japan paradigm to the more participatory, fan-driven Your Japan. He examines whats working (content exports, inbound-tourism touchpoints, local city branding) and what still misses the mark (top-down campaigns, language access, and diversity). Boas shares behind-the-scenes examples from NHK WORLD programs and community-level projects in Nakano, and addresses todays so-called overtourism, arguing that many pain points are really problems of mismanagement. In contrast to top-down efforts, grassroots phenomena are filling the gap: from overseas anime fandoms to the growth of riichi (Japanese) mahjong clubs in New York City, organic cultural movements are shaping Your Japanthe personal Japan fans embrace on their own terms. He concludes with practical recommendations for educators, policymakers, and creatives on aligning domestic priorities with overseas expectations.
In Performing Chinatown: Hollywood, Tourism, and the Making of a Chinese American Community (Stanford University Press, 2024), historian William Gow argues that Chinese Americans in Los Angeles strategically used their performances in both Hollywood films and Chinatown tourist attractions to influence perceptions of race and national identity during the Chinese Exclusion Era. Drawing on oral histories and archival research, the book reveals how these performances were tied to restrictive immigration laws, beginning with the 1875 Page Act. By focusing on the experiences of everyday peoplefrom movie extras to merchantsPerforming Chinatown uncovers the long-overlooked history of how Los Angeless Chinatown and Hollywood shaped each other and, in turn, shaped Asian American identity.
Vina Orden will present on her essay in CUNY FORUM Volume 11:1, examining how narratives in popular media can perpetuate or challenge existing power structures and colonial mentalities. Orden explores this through the complex dynamics behind the pop culture success of comics like The United States of Captain America. Her analysis delves into the diverse creative team behind these comics, including queer, Filipino, First Nation, and South African writers. And she critically questions whether Captain America, despite such diverse creative input, must still operate within a context of imperial power dynamics and the realities of the U.S. nation state.
Much queer theory in America is based on white male experience and privilege, excluding people of color and severely limiting its relevance to third-world activism. Within the last three decades, chronicles from gay lesbian bisexual transgender intersex queer (GLBTIQ) communities within the South Asian diaspora in the United States have appeared, but the richness and contradictions that characterize these communities have been stifled. Too often, the limitations due to undertheorized South Asian American lesbian, bisexual, and transsexual historiescompounded by a queer canon overwrought with the East/West and tradition/modern equationsrender queer South Asian Americans as a monolithic homogeneous category with little or no agency.
Francisco Delgado will read and discuss his novella, On Remembering My Friends, My First Job, and My Second-Favorite Weezer CD (TRP: The University Press of SHSU, July 2025). Winner of the 2024 Clay Reynolds Novella Prize, the book tells the story of Cody Taitano, a CHamoru man who reflects on his teenage years in 1999 while navigating the complexities of parenthood during the COVID-19 pandemic. Prof. Delgado will explore the novellas themes of race, class, and the enduring nature of friendship, as Cody recalls his first job at McDonalds and the music that shaped his life.
Team Amplify focused on addressing the digital struggles of Asian-owned small businesses, particularly restaurants, that were challenged by the post-pandemic relaunch. The projects core hypothesis was that improving a restaurants digital visibility would increase foot traffic, attract delivery customers, improve brand recognition, and strengthen customer loyalty. The team used Tang Pavilion, a Shanghainese Chinese restaurant in Midtown, as a case study, noting its lack of a central website, outdated social media, and underutilized customer reviews due to limited resources. The strategy involved building a modernized, mobile-friendly website to establish branding and services , enhancing social media with new content, and encouraging customer reviews via a QR code system. Beyond this specific restaurant, the team is developing digital workshops to empower other Asian-owned businesses to manage their own digital presence, focusing on practical tools like setting up Google Business Profiles and improving local search rankings. The project established a strong digital foundation for Tang Pavilion and a framework for continued growth, setting the stage for long-term marketing efforts and community impact.
Team Community Compass addressed the challenges faced by Asian immigrants in New York City with limited English proficiency, who struggle with language and cultural barriers when navigating the healthcare system. Initial community engagement, including a survey in three languages, revealed that while language-specific providers were often accessible, the most significant barrier was the complicated process of navigating insurance and benefits. Recognizing that many existing resources were underutilized, the team developed a Tableau dashboard that functions as an interactive directory for New York Citys Community Based Organizations (CBOs). This solution helps bridge the gap by allowing users to find specific resources based on communities served, location, and service type, answering the who, what, where, and how of accessing aid. The team outlined future plans to improve the dashboard by making it dynamic, creating a video tutorial, and exploring a mobile app or physical assistance tools to ensure the resources reach those who need them most.
Leekyung Kang, the inaugural artist-in-residence at the Queens College School of Arts (Fall 2024), will present on her recent work inspired by Buddhist cosmology's cyclical nature, creating a series of paintings, print, and installation that interrogate the formal aspects of what is architecturally defined as a form of chamber. Beginning with the visual language of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism (, ), Kang plans to incorporate imagery from various religions to illustrate how ancient beliefs interpret ideas of cosmic harmony and divine presence. Drawing from ancient tomb or chamber murals across religions and cultures, her work aims to reconcile diverse elements to refine the articulation of cyclical and transformative existence.
Join the celebration! AAARIs annual fundraiser is attended by Asian and non-Asian academic, business, civic and community leaders, faculty, staff and students. At the gala, AAARI will be honoring distinguished CUNY alumni, leaders from the community, and student scholarship recipients. Proceeds from the gala go towards AAARIs academic publications and public programs such as lectures, annual conference, and student film festival.
The Asian American / Asian Research Institutes 2025 symposium, co-organized with NYU Steinhardt, explores the intersections of identity, culture, history, and systemic factors in shaping mental health experiences within Asian and Asian American communities. Centered around three key themes, the symposium aims to address both longstanding and emerging challenges while equipping attendees with insights and practical strategies to advance mental health support.
The Asian American / Asian Research Institutes 2025 symposium, co-organized with NYU Steinhardt, explores the intersections of identity, culture, history, and systemic factors in shaping mental health experiences within Asian and Asian American communities. Centered around three key themes, the symposium aims to address both longstanding and emerging challenges while equipping attendees with insights and practical strategies to advance mental health support.
The Asian American / Asian Research Institutes 2025 symposium, co-organized with NYU Steinhardt, explores the intersections of identity, culture, history, and systemic factors in shaping mental health experiences within Asian and Asian American communities. Centered around three key themes, the symposium aims to address both longstanding and emerging challenges while equipping attendees with insights and practical strategies to advance mental health support.
Join us to celebrate the Asian American / Asian Research Institutes 24th anniversary as part of The City University of New York! AAARIs fundraising gala will convene over 200 supporters, community leaders, and advocates committed to uplifting and advancing the Asian American Pacific Islander community. In line with our mission, this years event will honor the remarkable achievements of Asian American women in public service who have paved the way for greater representation, policy innovation, and community empowerment for all.
Join pioneering LGBTQ+ activist Daniel C. Tsang for a special conversation reflecting on his 50 years of activism, including his groundbreaking 1975 article Gay Awareness in Bridge Magazine, one of the first to address LGBTQ+ issues in the Asian American community. Tsang will discuss the evolution of LGBTQ+ rights, his personal journey, and the ongoing challenges facing the community. Moderated by the Museum of Chinese in America's Chief Curator Herb Tam, the event will conclude with a Q and A session for audience engagement.
This panel discusses the "Localized History Project," which addresses the lack of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) history in New York State's Eurocentric, test-driven curriculum. The Project advocates for both a "content and pedagogical revolution" to shift who is perceived as a historian and knowledge creator. The Project is youth-driven, centering young people through Youth Action Boards in various regions of New York, who develop resources for an archive and classroom use. Utilizing oral history, semi-structured interviews, and surveys, the project explores how the absence of AANHPI history impacts youth and aims to create a "living history" that challenges traditional, colonial frameworks of history education. The ultimate goal is to provide a community archive of localized histories to fill educational gaps and inspire revolutionary change.Panel was part of the Association for Asian American Studies 2025 Annual Conference
In Decoding Ambedkar, Prof. Vivek Kumar re-examines Dr. B.R. Ambedkars vast intellectual contributions, challenging his reductive portrayal in Indian academia and media. It contrasts his domestic erasure with the significant global recognition of his ideas on society, politics, and justice. By analyzing his unique theories on the Hindu social order and his engagement with diverse thinkers, the book asserts Ambedkars crucial role as a pioneer in Indian sociology, demonstrating the capacity of Dalit intellectuals to develop profound theoretical frameworks.
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