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people

Professor Explores the Asian-American Experience
by Susan Katsaros

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From Dateline (April 24, 2003)

Q: Why do you think ethnic studies is important?
   
A:

Ethnic studies is important because society is and will continue to be diverse. The study of how people get along with each other is crucial if we are to build a more perfect union of freedom and justice for all. Women’s studies is an important allied field in this work to be sure.

 

   
Q: What do you see happening in the next 10-15 years in ethnic studies?
   
A:

I would hope that ethnic studies programs and departments become more commonplace, and that some of the subject matter that is now taught mainly in ethnic studies would be integrated into other parts of the curriculum.

For Asian-Pacific American studies, there will be a shift as the children of today’s immigrants start having families and children. In the last census, the overwhelming majority of Asian-Pacific Americans were either immigrants or the children of immigrants. I would expect that someone who grows up in a household where everyone was born in this country will have a different experience than someone who has come from elsewhere, or who grew up in a household where “over there” is as real as your father and mother. So the research questions might shift away from studying the experience of making a life in a new country to other questions. What does it mean to be identified as a “foreigner” if both you and your parents are U.S.-born, for instance?

   

   
Q: You grew up in Hawaii – do you consider yourself a native Hawaiian?
   
A:

I was born on the island of Oahu, but I don’t consider myself a native because I am of Japanese-American descent. A Hawaiian would be someone of indigenous descent. The indigenous population can trace their origins back for thousands of years. Today, about 10 percent of Hawaii’s population is indigenous.

   

 

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Q&A with Fujita-Rony

• Thomas Fujita-Rony

• Why do you think ethnic studies is important?

• What do you see happening in the next 10-15 years in ethnic studies?

• You grew up in Hawaii–do you consider yourself a native Hawaiian?

• Have you examined the Japanese-American experience on Hawaii in comparison to the experience on the mainland?

Fujita-Rony is a very interesting last name. Is there a story behind it?

• Why did you choose a career in Asian-American studies?

• What is your research focus?

• Since Asian-American studies covers a vast area, what are your specific interests?

What research did you conduct while a visiting scholar at the Smithsonian?

 
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