Japanese, Jewish, Queer, and Clergy with Rev. Laura Cheifetz
Japanese, Jewish, Queer, and Clergy with Rev. Laura Cheifetz Bradley Onishi interviews Reverend Laura Mariko Chaffetz, discussing her experiences as a multiracial queer Asian American Christian minister with Jewish heritage. They examine how APA religious communities navigate the black-white binary in the U.S., the impact of anti-Asian racism during the pandemic, and the dynamics of […]
Caste Privilege in the United States and India with Dr. Himanee Gupta
Brad speaks with Dr. Himanee Gupta, Professor in the Department of Historical Studies at SUNY Empire State and the author of “Muncie, India(na): Middletown and Asian America,” about howt South Asians in the United States who grew up in the Hindu faith are caste-privileged or savarna (which means having varna, a term often equated to […]
Beyond Whiteness: Conservatism and Fascism in Asian American Evangelical and Catholic Communities with Drs. Jane Hong and Adrian De Leon
Many wonder how and why religious minorities in the USA adopt conservative – and even fascist – political identities when it seems that the American Right is anti-immigrant and in many cases explicitly racist. Scholars Dr. Jane Hong (Occidental) and Dr. Adrian de Leon (USC/NYU) argue that Asian American (religious) conservatism should be understood not […]
Asian Americans and Affirmative Action with Dr. Janelle Wong
In June 2023, the SCOTUS ruled that race cannot be used in the college admissions process. Many in and outside of the Asian American community see the ruling as positive for Asian American students who are supposedly disadvantaged by affirmative action policies. Brad talks with Dr. Janelle Wong of the University of Maryland about what […]
Filipino Theology Between Asian America and the United States with Dr. Gabriel Catanus
Brad speaks with Dr. Gabriel Catanus, Affiliate Assistant Professor of Theology at Fuller Seminary and Director of the Filipino American Ministry Initiative, about the challenges and joys of doing Filipino American theology and ministry and how they fit – and stand out – from other Asian American theological and ministry paradigms. Beyond his current project […]
Fighting Racism with the Wisdom of the Sikh Tradition with Dr. Simran Jeet Singh
Brad speaks with Dr. Simran Jeet Singh , Executive Director for the Aspen Institute’s Religion & Society Program and author of The Light We Give: How Sikh Wisdom Can Transform Your Life. As a boy growing up in South Texas, Simran Jeet Singh and his brothers confronted racism daily: at school, in their neighborhood, playing […]
A Vietnamese American Muslim Theologian at a Catholic Funeral with Dr. Martin Nguyen
Brad speaks with Dr. Martin Nguyen, who explains how his personal story impacts his understanding race, theology, culture, and heritage. As he explains, “t is difficult for me to imagine doing theology, then, without also considering who I am—my being Vietnamese, Asian, American, once Catholic, and now Muslim. Race and religion are entangled in the […]
Before and Beyond Whiteness: Asian American Buddhists – with Dr. Funie Hsu and Chenxing Han
Brad speaks with Dr. Funie Hsu and Chenxing Han about race, heritage, and Asian American Buddhisms. They discuss the ways Asian American Buddhists are often misunderstood in the United States due to the incomplete representation of Buddhism in American culture and the contemporary predominance of Whiteness in Buddhist spaces. Dr. Funie Hsu is currently Associate […]
Introduction
An introduction to Asian and Pacific American religions through interviews with experts and practitioners. Host Dr. Bradley Onishi speaks with APA scholars about: Asian American Catholicism Asian American Buddhism before and beyond Whiteness Fighting racism with the wisdom of Sikh teachings Doing Muslim theology as a Vietnamese American Asian American evangelicals in the MAGA Age […]