The Exclusion of Asian Canadian Studies

The Marginalization by Academia

Aug 27, 2008 Allan Cho

Although the term "Asian Canadian" has been in use in research since the 1970's, it has been absent in academia. What is "Asian Canadian"?

Although the term “Asian Canadian” has been in use in research since the 1970’s, it has been surprisingly lacking in academia. While universities and colleges throughout North America and the rest of the world have academic programs in interdisciplinary topics as Nineteenth Century Studies, American Studies, Critical Studies in Sexuality, and Asian American Studies, there has yet to be any academic program or degree that specializes in “Asian Canadian Studies.”

Cultural Legacy

Why Asian Canadian Studies? According to a Professor of English at UBC, Christopher Lee’s seminal essay The Lateness of Asian Canadian Studies, historical racism is large reason why there is a need for such courses. Although anti-Asian racism has had a long and well-documented history in Canada, these historical inateractions are often simplified, sanitized, or completely obscured in public discourse, an ongoing erasure that marginalizes Asian Canadians across a number of public spheres.

Role of Asian Canadian Studies

The role of Asian Canadian Studies then, should be to instigate changes in curriculum, instruction, and research in order to stimulate wider dialogues on the legacies and effects of racism and other forms of oppression. In fact, because cities such as Vancouver and Toronto have significant Asian populations, prioritizing scholarship and teaching that address cultural differences and racial hierarchies should be a matter of common sense. Perhaps the largest obstacle is the racial politics of defining "Asian Canadian" itself, which often categorizes Pacific Rim countries (Chinese, Japanese, and Korean), while overlooking other ethnicities such as Filipinos, East Indians, Pakistani, or Indonesians.

Institutional and Barriers

The current lack of formal educational spaces to address issues of the Asian diaspora limits theory-building and understandings of racialized Canadian experiences. Canada lacks this type of department in its universities and colleges. Not a single Asian Canadian Studies department or program exists in Canada. Scholars have long argued that there are structural and institutional constraints that prevent the birth of this type of establishment. Unlike in the United States, there has never been a huge surge in student activism to facilitate the development of ethnic programs and to participate in building their own history.

No Financial Funding

Another reason is the lack of funding, which university administrations often use to reject proposals to expand or create new arts/humanities/social sciences courses. Given this mentality, deeming Asian Canadian Studies as a field worthy of university support continues to be a major obstacle. Lastly, there is the problem of attracting homegrown Canadian talent. Asian Canadian scholars often leave Canada to teach at various institutions in the US. They often point to a lack of these positions in their native country which has forced them to move stateside to advance their careers. The very few professors that do teach Asian Canadian-related courses in Canada are usually more established and thus unlikely to want to uproot their lives and start teaching in a new program elsewhere.

Student Activism

However, there are grassroots organizations, particularly from university student organizations, that have only begun to to create new awareness of Asian Canadian Studies, if not as an academic field, then at least for social justice. In the spring of 2007, a group of UBC students decided to come together and create a new club that would explore many of the issues faced by first and second generation Asian Canadians as well as to promote Pan-Asian consciousness on UBC campus. Students at UBC have already made strides towards the hope of creating an Asian Canadian Studies program similar to existing Asian American Studies programs in the U.S. For example, in September of 2007, ACCO held a petition which used the slogan: “50% Asians, 0% Asian Canadian Studies courses.”

Academic Programs in Progress

Faculty and administration have also made strides. In 2007, UBC officially launched the Initiative for Student Teaching and Research in Chinese Canadian Studies (INSTRCC), led by Dr. Henry Yu, History professor at UBC, along with faculty professors from academic departments throughout the university. Built from the ground up by students over a three year period, INSTRCC is the first stage of a permanent commitment to teaching and research focused upon the role of Asian Canadians in the building of Pacific Canada. INSTRCC has already produced numerous student films, including the “Eating Global Vancouver” series which examined Vancouver ethnic restaurants as a window into how cuisine and global migrations have transformed Vancouver and the Pacific region.

Intellectual Project, Social Justice Project, or Community Project?

It is said that the Asian Canadian Project will ultimately come from among three sources: university, activism, or community. Since Asian Canadian Studies is still in its formative stages, some argue that looking at the Asian American model gives a glimpse into the possibilities. At the same time, although others argue that the Canadian model does not fit the American model at all due to historical and cultural differences between the two countries, only time will tell.

The copyright of the article The Exclusion of Asian Canadian Studies in Historical Resources is owned by Allan Cho. Permission to republish The Exclusion of Asian Canadian Studies in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Chinese Canadian Studies logo