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UC Davis experts: Asian Americans

The University of California, Davis, has campus experts available to provide commentary related to Asian American topics.

Panethnicity

Sociologist Dina Okamoto documents patterns of Asian American panethnicity by looking at rates of collective action, organizational formation and intermarriage. She looks at the ways in which labor market processes, such as competition and occupational segregation, affect pan-Asian efforts. Okamoto studies race and ethnicity on a broader scale as well as immigration issues. She also researches occupational sex segregation and how individual characteristics, such as marital status and whether or not one has children, affect women's occupational choices. Contact: Dina Okamoto, (530) 752-6772, dkokamoto@ucdavis.edu.

Mental health

Psychologist Nolan Zane researches specific cultural variables that influence therapy. He in interested in culturally oriented treatments for ethnic minority clients and the cultural determinants of addictive behaviors. Currently he is examining the role of loss of face and shame in interpersonal relationships with a special focus on client and care provider interactions. Zane has written widely about ethnic minority mental health treatment and services, cultural differences in intra- and interpersonal dynamics, and addictive behavior patterns in Asian American communities. He also co-edited "Confronting Critical Health Issues of Asian and Pacific Islander Americans" and the "Handbook of Asian American Psychology." He is director of the National Research Center on Asian American Mental Health based at UC Davis. Contact: Nolan Zane, Psychology, (530) 752-5419, nwzane@ucdavis.edu.

Law, history and Asian Americans

Thomas Joo, acting professor of law, teaches and writes about race relations and Asian American legal history. He can talk about how the American legal system treated Asian Americans as foreigners during World War II. He can also talk about how the view of Asian Americans as foreigners continues in modern legal events, for example in the Wen Ho Lee case. Media contacts: Thomas Joo, School of Law, (530) 754-6089, twjoo@ucdavis.edu.

Immigration

Bill Ong Hing, professor emeritus of law and Asian American studies , has conducted extensive research on the demographics of Asian American communities in the United States.. His areas of research include the impact of changing demographics on economic, political, gender, age, social and residential traits of Asian American communities, as well as on race relations. His books include "Making and Remaking Asian America Through Immigration Policy" (1993) and "To Be an American -- Cultural Pluralism and the Rhetoric of Assimilation" (1997). Contact: Bill Ong Hing, Law,, bhing@ucdavis.edu.

Korean American history

Richard Kim , an assistant professor of Asian American studies, has expertise in the history of Korean American immigration. He focuses on the early years beginning in 1903, when the first Koreans came to the United States in Hawaii to work, until the end of World War II. However, Kim can also talk about current events and issues for Korean Americans. He is also knowledgeable about the celebrations planned in 2003 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Korean immigration. Contact: Richard Kim, Asian American Studies, (530) 752-3625, rskim@ucdavis.edu.

Masculinity

Wendy Ho, associate professor in Asian American studies and women and gender studies, examines the constructions of masculinity in literatures by Asian American male writers. She is exploring their engagements with often conflicting concepts of masculinity in mainstream and historically marginalized racial-ethnic communities of the United States. Her earlier book "In Her Mother's House: The Politics of Asian American Mother-Daughter Writing" includes a discussion of the relationships of fathers and daughters in the work of Chinese American women writers. Contact: Wendy Ho, Asian American Studies, (530) 752-3625, waho@ucdavis.edu.

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Last updated Nov. 20, 2011