December 1997
In Depth With Connie Chan & Paul Watanabe
Professor Connie Chan is a clinical psychologist who teaches a course on race, class and cultural issues in human services at CPCS. Paul Watanabe is a political science professor who specializes in American foreign policy and is frequently quoted in the media on local and national political issues. Chan was born in Hawaii and her background is Chinese American. Watanabe is a Japanese American who grew up in Utah.
Their different interests and backgrounds have been an advantage during four years of sharing the directorship of the Institute for Asian American Studies (IAAS). Their responses to the question "Who is an Asian American?" show why their differences in gender, ethnicity, disciplines and interests benefit their work.
"The idea of 'Asian American' is an artificial construct," says Chan. "Asia is a diverse place. But here, we are a small community, even with all of us put together. So better to put us together, so we can develop a little clout," she says. Watanabe agrees that there is no consensus on the concept of Asian Americans, who come from a variety of cultures and speak many languages. But, he says, neither is it a made-up notion.
"There is something fundamental about the American experience for all Asian Americans that binds them together, whether they came here 100 years ago or yesterday, not the least of which is that other Americans see them as 'the same,'" he says.
The IAAS is one of only two or three pan-Asian organizations in the region to look at the totality and the commonality of Asian Americans and their experiences.
Co-directing has also enhanced their ability to handle the many tasks of the Institute, says Chan, where she and Watanabe are the only full-time employees. "It has given us a broader reach and greater influence &emdash;a synergy that we could not have achieved on our own," says Chan. Adds Watanabe, "Each of us has a lot of direct involvement, so you end up with a sum greater than one director."
The Institute's goals are to conduct research and policy analysis on issues relating to Asian Americans, strengthen community development, and provide support for students and curriculum development.
With only two part-time staff members and the help of graduate students, its accomplishments include two major publications, A Dream Deferred: Changing Demographics, Challenges, & New Opportunities for Boston and The Asian American Civil Rights Resource Guide; the co-sponsorship of a national conference on educational issues for Asian Americans, and a variety of cultural activities brought to campus, including this fall's Multicultural Drumming Festival.
Current research projects include assessing HIV knowledge and use of services for Asian American men, and a needs-assessment review of developmentally disabled individuals in the Asian American community. Modest research fellow stipends are awarded to researchers pursuing topics relevant to the Institute's interests.
Many of the Institute's activities are undertaken in partnership with other organizations. A Dream Deferred was researched and written in partnership with the Trotter and Gaston Institutes and funded by the Boston Foundation; the Multicultural Drumming Festival was co-sponsored by ZUMIX, a community-based organization devoted to bringing arts into schools and supported by a grant from the Ford Foundation.
It is creating links, whether it be between the wide variety of Asian Americans, or between research institutes and centers, community groups and funding organizations that characterizes the way the IAAS works to create a stronger voice for the Asian American community. "It can be a very enlightening thing to see a shared agenda," says Watanabe. "I think that is the exciting part."