This week's readings feature powerful narratives from Asian American women of various backgrounds and positions within the academy, from undergraduate student leaders and graduate students, to international faculty. Common to their experiences was subjugation and suppression from administration and academia itself. From Shannon's Deloso's autoethnography, the intention of university administration to silence and invalidate student activism was clear. Despite being raised to not disobey elders or patriarchal leaders, she drew her strength to fight against those in power through her community. Her growth as an activist and a student leader is inspiring, as she represented her fellow Asian American and ethnic studies students in struggles against the administration. She exemplified not only a breaking through of stereotypes of a docile Asian American women, but also a shift in liberatory movements. Though the students' struggles were inspired by Third World Liberation Front movements in the late 1960s, the leadership demographic changed drastically. In the 1960s, women were supporting cast to men, and served heavily gendered roles, such as working with children and as emotional support. However, in 2016, the hunger strikes were led by women, and they were leaders and advocates. Although their activism being undermined by the university, these students found strength and inspiration in using their voice to change their environment and empower others. Through taking bold action, these student activists reclaimed their university space.
These lessons imparted by Deloso are similar to those of Professor Akiko Takeyama, an international scholar who struggled within U.S. academia. She was constantly subjected to language and accent biases, sexism, racism, and other discriminatory tactics. Despite being consistently undermined, she concludes that sharing her personal stories is a powerful method of resistance for those who have been continuously silenced within academia. In light of reverse social engineering methods, politicizing personal experience is crucial to understanding the systematic nature of oppression of Asian American women. As she concludes, "...such struggles have long been silenced and, as a result, are not only unknown but are also largely mystified... Thus, structural inequality remains normalized and perpetuated." (Takeyama 2019) The experiences of these Asian American women inspire those within the academia, students and faculty alike, to share their experiences, use their voice to fight against oppression, and speak truth to power.
Question: If student activism within the university is often difficult and co-opted through means of shared governance, what are effective methods of resistance within the university? Or, is effective resistance within the university simply not possible?
References:
Deloso, S. (2019). Precariously Positioned: Asian American Women Students' Negotiating Power in Academia
Takeyama, A. (2019). Opening the Box: An International Asian Woman Scholar’s Fight
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