Contemporary Issues in Southeast Asian American Studies (Revised Edition)

Book excerpt: "Contemporary Issues in Southeast Asian American Studies" is the first anthology to critically examine Southeast Asian Americans and their communities. It offers contemporary perspectives of renowned Southeast Asian American scholars to complement insightful primary-source documents. Together, these selections highlight Southeast Asian American experiences from interdisciplinary and cross-cultural comparative approaches, and explore such topics and themes as: history, cultural productions, political activism and apathy, and economic and social integration. The essays are written in clear, jargon-free language accessible to undergraduate students, and each is followed by pedagogically engaging and provocative discussion questions. Students are encouraged to not only identify challenges and struggles but also to devise solutions to the difficult topics discussed in each chapter. Jonathan H. X. Lee is Assistant Professor of Asian American Studies specializing in Southeast Asian and Sino-Southeast Asian American studies. Lee received a Ph.D. in religious studies from the University of California at Santa Barbara in 2009. He is the Program Co-chair of the Religions of Asia section for the American Academy of Religion, Western Region (AAR/WR) conference, and is academic adviser and grant writer for South East Asian Cultural Heritage & Musical Performing Arts (SEACHAMPA). Lee is also a member of the National Association for the Education and Advancement of Cambodian, Laotian and Vietnamese Americans (NAFEA) and is a member of the editorial review board of the "Journal of Southeast Asian American Education & Advancement." His recent publications include "Cambodian American Experiences: Histories, Communities, Cultures, and Identities" (2010) and "The Encyclopedia of Asian American Folklore and Folklife" (on-press).