2024 APA Studies Symposium

Fri, March 22, 2024 12:00 AM - Sat, March 23, 2024 12:00 AM at TBD

The theme of this year’s Asian Pacific American Studies Symposium at Michigan State University, APIDA/A Crossroads: 180 Years of Inclusion, Exclusion, and (In)Visibility, draws from a multitude of narratives from Asian Pacific Islander Desi American (APIDA) and Asian (A) individuals and communities through time. 180 years ago, a young Japanese fisherman landed on American shores via a whaling vessel. “Manjiro”, whose ship had been wrecked in a storm before a timely intervention by American Captain William Whitfield, set foot in Massachusetts as the first acknowledged Asian immigrant to the United States. In recent memory, the electrifying joy of seeing Chloe Kim cinch the gold at Beijing’s 2022 Winter Olympics came only a year before the 2023 Lunar New Year mass shooting in Monterey Park, which claimed the lives of Valentino Marcos Alvero, Hongying Jian, Yu Lun Kao, Lilan Li, Ming Wei Ma, My My Nhan, Muoi Dai Ung, Chia Ling Yau, Wen Tau Yu, Xiujuan Yu, and Diana Man Ling Tom. COVID-19 still lingers in our daily lives, while coups in Myanmar, crackdowns in Hong Kong, and militaristic acts by the People’s Republic of China and North Korea against Taiwan and South Korea, respectively, have exposed divisions within the global pan-ethnic APIDA/A community. Out of these significant events, there are many reasons to contemplate how APIDA/A individuals and communities are rendered hypervisible and/or invisible in the public sphere. The narrative prompts contemplation on how these individuals and communities are perceived in the public sphere, particularly emphasizing the significance of the Midwest, where Michigan State University (MSU) is located, as a context for studying issues of visibility and the persistent framing of Asian Americans as outsiders. The example of APIDA/A students enrolling at MSU as early as 1873 underscores the enduring sense of 'otherness' and the unique challenges faced by this community in the region. The overall theme centers on the historical, contemporary, and regional aspects of APIDA/A visibility and challenges.

The format for this year's symposium will be hybrid, both in-person and online. Students and graduate students wishing to travel to East Lansing from a distance may be eligible for a travel grant to assist with the costs of travel. Please email us at apastudy@msu.edu with any questions. The correct times and location(s) for this event will be announced shortly. Those interested in submitting proposals for a paper, workshop, or research flash talk, should consult the attached CFP and can reach the submission portal here: https://bit.ly/APAS24CFP.

The deadline for proposals have been extended to January 19, 2024.

Click here to read more about what the Symposium features with our call for proposals.