FINALLY TAKING ROOT
As scholars try to get university administrators across the country to understand how distinct Filipino American studies are, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign program continues to expand.
2 Responses to “FINALLY TAKING ROOT”
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April 10th, 2008 at 4:44 am
As a Filipino-American college student I often catch myself thinking about how the stereotype of dancing and partying came to be. Growing up in an area with a relatively small Filipino-American population (Michigan) I have only heard about other Fil-ams being like this until I experienced it first hand as a college student in the Chicago area. Filipino-Americans are among the most highly educated groups in the country, and the youth are as interested as ever in discovering their identities. However, I don’t see much interest in pursuing research in the history, behaviors, and cultural gifts that Filipinos as a group possess. I hope for the future that the relative lack of scholarly work on the Filipino-American social experience can inspire future generations to fill in the knowledge gap and take a chance with pursuing a career in academia.
April 12th, 2008 at 8:40 pm
we grads and undergrads are very lucky indeed to have these four scholars who have joined forces to create new opportunities in not only filipino studies but also interdisciplinary methodologies and transnational perspectives. i would also add kent ono, as an important faculty member on campus who argues for the vibrancy of asian american studies in the midwest in the face of a “left-coast” primacy.