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Asian Studies: Asian American Studies

A guide to resources for Asian Studies

Asian American Studies

According to statistics provided by the Pew Research Center (2021), "Asians are the fastest growing racial or ethnic group in the US. To put this growth in perspective consider the following: "the Asian population in the US doubled from 2000 to 2019...Asians now make up about 7% of the nation’s overall population, and their numbers are projected to surpass 46 million by 2060, nearly four times their current total." The materials found on this webpage can help you explore the varied and numerous contributions of Asian Americans to the historical mosaic of America, the challenges and successes of Asian Americans over the course of American history, and the influences and impact of Asian Americans have had on American culture.  

Asian American Literature: Anthologies & Reference Works

Asian American Literature (4 vols.) Cambridge University Press, 2021.

Cover ArtVolume 1: Asian American Literature in Transition, 1850–1930

Edited by: Josephine Lee (Minnesota) & Julia H. Lee, (UC, Irvine)

Book cover image volume two.Volume 2: Asian American Literature in Transition, 1930–1965

Edited by: Victor Bascara (UCLA) & Josephine Nock-Hee Park (Pennsylvania)

Book cover image, volume 3Volume 3: Asian American Literature in Transition, 1965–1996

  • Edited by: Asha Nadkarni (Mass, Amherst) & Cathy J. Schlund-Vials (Texas)

book cover volume 4Volume 4: Asian American Literature in Transition, 1996–2020

  • Edited by: Betsy Huang (Clark University.) & Victor Román Mendoza (Michigan)

Asian American Literature: Edinburgh Critical Guides. Edited by Bella Adams, Martin Halliwell, and Andy Mousley (2008). eBook.

 

Aiiieeeee! An Anthology of Asian American Writers3rd ed. Edited by Frank Chin, et al. (Univ. of Washington Press, 2019). eBook.

Poetry

The West: A Translation by Utah Poet Laureate Paisley Rekdal

In 2019, Asian American poet Paisley Rekdal was commissioned to write a poem commemorating the 150th anniversary of the transcontinental railroad’s completion. The result is “West: A Translation:” a linked collection of poems that respond to a Chinese elegy carved into the walls of the Angel Island Immigration Station where Chinese migrants to the United States were detained. “West” translates this elegy character by character through the lens of Chinese and other transcontinental railroad workers’ histories, and through the railroad’s cultural impact on America.


 

Notable Books on Asian American History

Asian American History Reference Works

Asian Studies Librarian

Profile Photo
Tim Davis
Contact:
I am happy to meet with you in person or virtually to help you with any research questions.

Office: 5449 HBLL
Phone: 801-422-4061

Association for Asian American Studies

Association for Asian American Studies (AAAS)

The Association for Asian American Studies was founded in 1979 for the purpose of advancing the highest professional standard of excellence in teaching and research in the field of Asian American Studies and to promote better understanding and closer ties between and among various sub-components within Asian American Studies: Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Filipino, Hawaiian, Southeast Asian, South Asian, Pacific Islander, and other groups. AAAS is also founded for the purpose of educating American society about the history and aspirations of Asian American ethnic minorities.

Click the link below to access the association's academic journal:

The Journal of Asian American Studies (1998–present)

NPR's Series Inheriting

Inheriting is a 2024 podcast about Asian American and Pacific Islander families, which explores how one event in history can ripple through generations. In doing so, the show seeks to break apart the AAPI monolith and tell a fuller story of these communities. In each episode, NPR's Emily Kwong sits down with one family and facilitates deeply emotional conversations between their loved ones. Through these stories, we see how to live with the legacies we're constantly inheriting. More at LAist.

Documentary Film

Asian Americans a multi-part documentary produced by PBS (2020). 

Click links below to view each episode on Alexander Street streaming services.

Episode 1: Breaking Ground

Episode 2: A Question of Loyalty

Episode 3: Good Americans

Episode 4: Generation Rising

Episode 5: Breaking Through


Slaying the Dragon (1988) Documentary on the racial and gender stereotyping of Asian Women in Film. Streaming.

Academic Journals

WWII Japanese Internment Camps

Topaz Museum Website (Delta, Utah)


Image of twenty three books facing spine out on a bookshelf

Collected Literary Magazines of Americans of Japanese Descent

日系アメリカ文学雑誌集成 

This twenty-three volume set of book reproduces copies of literary magazines created by Japanese incarcerated in relocation centers in various parts of the United States: New York, California, Arizona (Poston & Gila River), and Wyoming (Heart Mountain). it is shelved in the Japanese Section of the Asian Collection on Level 4 of the Harold B. Lee Library. Call Number: PL 889 .U52 N9 


National Archives: Japanese American Incarceration During WWII

Includes access to several relevant primary source documents documents and other resources.


Densho 伝承: This English language website documents the testimonies of Japanese Americans who were unjustly incarcerated during World War II. It preserves firsthand accounts, historical images, and teacher resources.