Asian American Studies Program (University of Massachusetts Boston)

Asian American Studies Program (University of Massachusetts Boston)
Name	Asian American Studies Program
University	University of Massachusetts Boston
Established	1970s
Location	Boston, Massachusetts
Director	(varies)
Degrees	Undergraduate majors, minors, certificates

Asian American Studies Program (University of Massachusetts Boston) is an interdisciplinary academic unit at the University of Massachusetts Boston focusing on the histories, cultures, and politics of Asian American communities. The program engages with scholarship and activism tied to diasporic experiences across Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Filipino, South Asian, Southeast Asian, and Pacific Islander communities, connecting to institutions and movements in Boston, New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C.

History

The program emerged amid student and faculty activism linked to the legacy of the 1968 student movements at San Francisco State University, the Third World Liberation Front strikes, and demands for ethnic studies inspired by organizers from United Farm Workers, Congressional Black Caucus, and community groups in Chicago and Los Angeles. Influences included scholarship by figures associated with Berklee College of Music cultural work, comparative projects connecting to the study of Chinatown, Boston communities, and national policy debates after the passage of laws such as the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965. Local collaborations tied to events like the Boston Chinatown protests and institutional developments at the University of Massachusetts System shaped the program’s early curriculum and mission.

Academic Programs and Curriculum

The program offers undergraduate majors, minors, and certificate pathways that draw on courses in history, literature, sociology, political science, and cultural studies. Courses examine topics from the Chinese Exclusion Act era to the aftermath of the Vietnam War, the impact of the Model Minority discourse, and labor histories connected to organizations such as International Longshore and Warehouse Union and United Auto Workers. Seminars analyze literary works by authors linked to Maxine Hong Kingston, Jhumpa Lahiri, Amy Tan, and Viet Thanh Nguyen alongside archival methods practiced at repositories like the Schlesinger Library and the Boston Public Library. Cross-listed offerings connect to departments at the College of Liberal Arts and professional programs that interface with urban projects in Dorchester, Boston and civic initiatives in Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority corridors.

Faculty and Administration

Faculty appointments include scholars with backgrounds in comparative ethnic studies, history, and literature who have published with presses such as Oxford University Press and University of California Press. Administrative oversight coordinates with offices at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum and campus centers modeled after partnerships like those between Columbia University and community archives. Visiting scholars and lecturers often include affiliates from institutions such as Harvard University, Tufts University, Northeastern University, and national research networks tied to the Association for Asian American Studies. Faculty work spans topics related to immigration law influenced by cases adjudicated at the Supreme Court of the United States and public policy debates in the Massachusetts General Court.

Student Life and Organizations

Student life features culturally focused student organizations, performance groups, and advocacy networks that collaborate with Boston-area groups like the Asian American Resource Workshop, Greater Boston Chinese Golden Age Center, and neighborhood coalitions in Chinatown, Boston and Allston. Student organizations stage events reflecting diasporic festivals such as Lunar New Year celebrations, film screenings tied to festivals like the Asian American International Film Festival, and panels on civic engagement related to elections coordinated with chapters of League of Women Voters and youth programs connected to AmeriCorps. Career development ties to internships with nonprofits such as Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund and cultural institutions like Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

Research, Scholarship, and Community Engagement

The program sponsors research on oral histories, labor migrations, transnational networks, and health disparities, engaging community partners including the Chinese Progressive Association and public health initiatives at Boston Medical Center. Faculty and students contribute to journals and edited volumes alongside scholars affiliated with University of California, Berkeley, University of Washington, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and cross-disciplinary centers such as the Bunting Institute. Community-engaged projects have partnered with municipal agencies in City of Boston planning, legal clinics linked to Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation, and K–12 outreach reflecting collaborations with the Boston Public Schools.

Notable Alumni and Contributions

Alumni have gone on to roles in academia, journalism, law, public service, and the arts with pathways intersecting institutions like The New York Times, National Public Radio, Massachusetts State House, and cultural organizations such as the Asian Cultural Council. Graduates have participated in public history projects, policy advocacy around immigration reform referenced in debates over the Dream Act and have produced scholarship contributing to understandings of diasporic identity alongside notable figures connected to Asian American Journalists Association and the Association for Asian American Studies.

Category:University of Massachusetts Boston Category:Asian American studies programs