Research Guides: Researching Historically Marginalized Communities: Asian/Asian American

Virginia Tech's College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences offers minors in Asian Studies, Chinese Studies, and Japanese Studies. The Asian Studies minor focuses on historical, economic, and cultural elements of South Asia, East Asia, Southeast Asia, and Central Asia. The Chinese Studies and Japanese Studies minors include study of language (Mandarin Chinese/Japanese) as well as art, history, and politics.

Asian

Asia is the largest continent on Earth. It extends generally from the Mediterranean Sea in the West to the Pacific Ocean in the East and from the Arctic Ocean in the North to the Indian Ocean in the South. This region has extremely diverse and culturally rich locations including Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bahrain, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, China, the Gaza Strip, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, the Korean Peninsula, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Macau, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Oman, Pakistan, Philippines, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Syria, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Turkey, Turkmenistan, the United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, the West Bank, and Yemen.

Asian American

The term Asian American is used generally to refer to American citizens whose ancestry can be traced back to East Asia, South Asia, or Southeast Asia. People from other parts of the Asian continent tend to be categorized by their relationship or apparent relationship to a specific country (for example Arab American, Yemeni American, Israeli American). There are multiple official and colloquial definitions for this term. The United States Census defines Asian as "A person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippine Islands, Thailand, and Vietnam." As with all terminology seeking to categorize different parts of humanity, this term can serve as an anchor for identity and it can be divisive and problematic.

Suggested books & manuscripts in Special Collections and University Archives

al-Din wa al-Mujtamaʼ wa al Dawlah fi Jazirah al-ʻArab : al-Hijaz taht al-Hukm al-ʻUthmani (DS247.H47 O2812 2010)
Author: William Ochsenwald
Published: 2010
Call Number: DS247.H47 O2812 2010
Publication is in Arabic. Title in English is: "Religion, society, and the state in Arabia : the Hijaz under Ottoman control, 1840-1908."
Alice Langley Hsieh Papers, 1943-1978 | Ms1979-004
The Alice Langley Hsieh collection consists of three parts: (1) the personal papers and publications of Alice Langley Hsieh (1922-1979), a U.S. State Department, RAND corporation, and Institute for the Defense Analyses specialist on the military of the People's Republic of China; (2) the manuscripts of books written by her spouse, C. Kien Hsieh, himself an authority on Communist China; and (3) collateral publications from A. L. Hsieh's library on the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA), the Maoist Cultural Revolution, Chinese nuclear capability, Japanese security fources, and other Far Eastern topics and issues.
Arthur M. Squires Papers, 1888-1987 (Bulk 1940-1986) | Ms1987-006
The collection consists of extensive correspondence, unpublished research reports, lectures, trip reports, reprints, and more. Sections of correspondence are labeled "China" and "India." This collection is unprocessed.
Black Organizations Council Records, 1982-2017 | RG 8/2/6e
The Black Organizations Council (BOC) was founded on the Virginia Tech campus in 1985, and is the umbrella and resource body for the Black student organizations. Series 4, Subseries 2 includes videos and photographs of events hosted by the Asian American Student Union.
Brinda Somaya Architectural Collection, 2000-2001 | Ms2003-005
Brinda Somaya, India's 2000 Designer of the Year, is a conservationist, post-modernist, abstract minimalist, and urban activist from Bombay. The Brinda Somaya Architectural Collection is comprised of The Hecar Foundation's exhibit "Women in Architecture - 2000 Plus" and publications.

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She received an architectural degree from the Sir JJ College of Architecture and a Master of Arts degree from Smith College, Massachusetts, USA. With her sister Ranjini, opened Somaya and Kalappa in 1976. Today her offices are in Mumbai and Bangalore. She is founder trustee of the The Hecar Foundation which was created to educate the public about architecture.
Clement Dixon Johnston Papers, 1939-1979 (Bulk 1942-1962) | Ms1982-012
The collection contains correspondence, speeches, scrapbooks, diaries, photographs, and other memorabilia from Johnston's tenure and local and national politics and business. Johnson was special representative of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee to study the foreign aid program in Southeast Asia from 1956-1967.
Daniel E. Wright Papers, 1903-1973 | Ms1968-007
Includes materials related to Wright's work on water supply and sanitation in Turkey in the 1940s as well as his work with the United Nations Public Health Service (UNPHS) in Burma during World War II.

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Collection also contains materials dealing with the Panama Canal, the public health activities of the Rockefeller Foundation, and the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration. Also includes correspondence to and from Daniel E. Wright while a colonel on the staff of Gen. Joseph W. Stilwell and at the U.S. Middle Eastern Command Headquarters in Cairo, as well as photographs from his travels.
Modern Arab American fiction : a reader's guide (PS153.A73 S33 2011)
Author: Steven Salaita
Published: 2011
Call Number: PS153.A73 S33 2011
Exploring the works of such best-selling authors as Rabih Alameddine, Mohja Kahf, Laila Halaby, Diana Abu-Jaber, Alicia Erian, and Randa Jarrar, Salaita highlights the development of each author's writing and how each has influenced Arab American fiction.

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He examines common themes including the Israel-Palestine conflict, the Lebanese Civil War of 1975-90, the representation and practice of Islam in the United States, social issues such as gender and national identity in Arab cultures, and the various identities that come with being Arab American. Combining the accessibility of a primer with in-depth critical analysis, Modern Arab American Fiction is suitable for a broad audience, those unfamiliar with the subject area, as well as scholars of the literature.
Persian Gulf War Pamphlets, circa 1991 | Ms2015-016
The collection consists of six 3" x 6" pamphlets that were dropped into Iraq by U.S. aircraft during the Persian Gulf War (January-March 1991). The pamphlets urge the surrender of Iraqi troops in printed Arabic. Several Pamphlets depict cartoons and images of the destruction of the Iraqi army by Coalition Forces.
The pictorial arts of Japan : with a brief historical sketch of the associated arts, and some remarks upon the pictorial art of the Chinese and Koreans (N7350 .A5 1866)
Author: William Anderson
Published: 1886
Call Number: N7350 .A5 1866
Each plate accompanied by guard sheet, illustrated on one side, and with descriptive letterpress on the other. In 5 sections, each preceded by half-title, not included in paging; in portfolios. Issued in 4 parts.
Record Group Vertical Files, 1960s-Present
In general, vertical files at Special Collections include newspaper clippings, photocopies, ephemera, unpublished and/or informal publications, and other papers relating to a specific subject area. Files in this collection relate to Virginia Tech and its history. Topics may include, but are not limited to, colleges and departments, student organizations, administrative offices, centers and other campus units, and athletics.
Wilhelmina Van Ingen Elarth Papers, 1862-1971 | Ms1969-004
A collection of correspondence, diaries, postcards, heirlooms, original artwork. Includes a series of postcards from Asian locations including Ceylon [Sri Lanka], China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Persia [Iran], and Syria/Palestine.

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The collection also includes sketches attributed to Henry van Ingen, ancient Greek and pre-Columbian artifacts, and photographs from Wilhelmina van Ingen Elarth, a professor of art history and classical studies who taught at the University of Michigan, Wheaton College (Massachusetts), and the University of Manitoba.

Online resources

Anti-Asian Panic and the Pandemic: A Virtual Teach-In Collection (Ms2020-003)
The Anti-Asian Panic and the Pandemic: A Virtual Teach-In Collection includes video recorded by Zoom for the teach-in event and related material, including the event flyer, notes on Coronavirus discrimination in the news, a follow-up reading list, and a press release from The United States Department of Justice.
Association for Asian Studies
The Association for Asian Studies (AAS) is a scholarly, non-political, non-profit professional association open to all persons interested in Asia and the study of Asia. With approximately 6,500 members worldwide, representing all the regions and countries of Asia and all academic disciplines, the AAS is the largest organization of its kind.
Association for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies
Established in 1948, the Association for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies (ASEEES) - a nonprofit, non-political, scholarly society - is the leading international organization dedicated to the advancement of knowledge about Central Asia, the Caucasus, Russia, and Eastern Europe in regional and global contexts.
Middle East Studies Association
The Middle East Studies Association (MESA) is a non-profit association that fosters the study of the Middle East, promotes high standards of scholarship and teaching, and encourages public understanding of the region and its peoples through programs, publications and services that enhance education, further intellectual exchange, recognize professional distinction, and defend academic freedom in accordance with its status as a 501(c)(3) scientific, educational, literary, and charitable organization.
Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center
The Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center (APAC) is a migratory museum that shares Asian Pacific American history, art, and culture through innovative museum experiences online and throughout the U.S. Since 1997, the Asian Pacific American Center has created, coordinated and partnered with hundreds of Asian Pacific American initiatives across the Institution ranging from collections, exhibits, cultural festivals, public programs, research, fellowships and internships.
South Asian American Digital Archive
Founded in 2008, SAADA gives voice to South Asian Americans through documenting, preserving and sharing stories that represent their unique and diverse experiences. Their digital archive makes more than 3,700 items about South Asian American history and culture available to the public.

Researching Historically Marginalized Communities

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Asian

Asian American

Suggested books & manuscripts in Special Collections and University Archives

Online resources