Webster Professors Awarded a Missouri Humanities Grant for their Project About Asian Identities in Missouri
June 12, 2024
Professors Elsa Fan and Noriko Yuasa were awarded a Missouri Humanities Grant for their project “Exploring Asian Identities in Missouri.” The $5,000 grant from the Missouri Humanities Council (MHC) was announced at the end of May and will support Fan and Yuasa’s project “Exploring Asian Identities in Missouri.”
Fan is an associate professor of anthropology and the chair of the Department of Global Languages, Cultures and Societies in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. Yuasa is a professor, director of graphic design and chair of the Department of Art, Design, and Art History in the Leigh Gerdine College of Fine Arts.
“We are thrilled to receive this grant, as it will explore the diverse facets of Asian identities in St. Louis,” Fan said. “The percentage of those who identify as Asian in the St. Louis region has increased dramatically in the past decade, yet many still grapple with a range of identity issues, from feeling invisible to lacking a sense of belonging and acceptance.”
In the past 10 years, the number of those in the St. Louis region who identify as Asian has grown by 37%, the last U.S. Census revealed. The project “Exploring Asian Identities in Missouri” explores wider themes of identity, community and belonging for two specific groups, adoptees from Asia and bi-/multi-racial individuals. The goal of this project is to provide a more nuanced understanding of identity and the search for belonging.
“The panel speaker series highlights the journey of underrepresented groups. It addresses broader diversity, inclusion, and representation issues, crucial amid recent anti-Asian violence. ,” Yuasa said. “We hope to enhance understanding of diverse cultures and identities, foster exchange and dialogue, and promote belonging.”
This project will explore these themes in a panel speaker series that will conclude in the fall of 2024.
The MHC is the only state-wide agency in Missouri devoted exclusively to humanities education for citizens of all ages. It has served as a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities since 1971. For more information about the grants program of the Missouri Humanities Council, call 314-781-9660 or 800-357-0909 or write to the MHC, 415 S. 18th Street, Suite 100, St. Louis, MO 63103-2269.