Stanford scholars reflect on contributions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders during heritage month and a period of increased racial violence
The many contributions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are noted by Stanford scholars during a time that has seen a drastic rise in anti-Asian hate crimes.
BY SANDRA FEDER
Every May, the nation honors and recognizes Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month. This year’s celebrations come in the midst of an increasing number of anti-Asian hate incidents in California and across the country, but the scourge of anti-Asian violence is not new, Stanford scholars note.
Here, scholars from the School of Humanities and Sciences reflect on historical and recent anti-Asian violence. They also discuss the many contributions of AAPI communities to California, the Bay Area and Stanford and how those communities have shaped their work.
In addition, scholars share their suggestions for books, articles, films and other resources where people can learn more about the contributions and history of AAPI communities.
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Professor, Psychology
California has been the first stop for many Asian immigrants including my parents, who came here from Taiwan for graduate school in the 1960s. Because I grew up in a predominantly European American community in Southern California, I experienced first-hand the differences between mainstream U.S. and Taiwanese cultures. These personal experiences fueled my interest in how cultural factors shape people’s emotions and social relationships.
Today, my lab, which is comprised of many Asian American students, examines how cultural models of self shape the emotions that people ideally want to feel (their “ideal affect”). We also look at the implications of these cultural differences in ideal affect and their impact on how people judge and respond to others. Our work primarily focuses on individuals from Western and East Asian cultures, including Asian Americans.
In response to the pandemic, we have started examining what happens when people cannot read others’ emotions because of mask-wearing and whether this varies by culture. And in response to the recent spate of anti-Asian hate crimes, we are starting to explore whether people are more likely to dehumanize and harm others whose expressions don’t match their culture’s ideal affect. Our hope is that this work will not only illustrate how culture shapes our emotions and social relationships but also further illuminate the cultural experiences of many Asian Americans in California and beyond.