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Asian American Studies

Coordinator

Jenny Bash

Jenny Banh is a Keynote Speaker, curriculum developer, and associate professor of Asian American Studies and Anthropology. She received Ph.D. and M.A. degrees in Anthropology at the University of California, Riverside, an M.A. in Cultural Studies at Claremont Graduate University, and an B.A. in Anthropology at the University of California, Los Angeles. Her research has focused on Asia/Asian American studies, Cultural Anthropology, and Asian/American Popular Culture. Her current research examines the barriers/bridges to Southeast Asian American students, Asian Foodways, and a Hong Kong corporation. 

In her community work she has conducted, coded and transcribed over 40 oral histories of Southeast Asian Americans (Hmong, Laotian, Filipino, Vietnamese, Mien, Cambodian) who live in Central Valley. She donated all the oral histories to the Library to create the Central Valley Southeast Asian American Successful Voices Archive. Recently she helped to co-create the ASAM-Asian Major, nineteen new ASAM courses and three certificates. She has been awarded two teaching awards and four service awards. 

Recent (Selected) publications include: 

Books and Edited Books

Book titled "Fantasies of Hong Kong Disneyland" by Jenny Banh

Book titled "Anthropology of Los Angeles" by Jenny Banh with Melissa King

Book titled "American Chinese Restaurants: Society, Culture and Consumption" edited by Jenny Banh and Haiming Liu

Peer Reviewed Articles & Book Chapters

2024 Banh, J. “COVID-19 Racism and American Chinese Restaurants 2019–2022 Exploring American Chinese Restaurants as Symbolic “Canaries in the Coalmine” Indicating Anti-Asian Hate: Journal of Overseas Chinese (Volume 20, Issue 2, year 2024)

2023 Banh, J. “Barriers and Bridges to Cambodian and Sino-Cambodian American Higher Education Success: Voices from the Highly Successful.” AAPI Nexus: Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders Policy, Practice & Community, aapi nexus Vol. 20, No. 1 (Fall 2023)

2021   Banh, J.; Radovic-Fanta, J. University and Professor Practices to Support DACA and Undocumented Students: DACA Student Experiences, Teacher Knowledge, and University Actions. Soc. Sci. 2021, 10, 346. 

2020    Banh, J. #MakeMulanRight: Retracing the Genealogy of Mulan from Ancient Chinese Tale to Disney Classic” in Edited Volume: Recasting the Disney Princess: The Coming of Age of the Empowered Children’s Heroine in the Wake of Social Movements. 

2020    Banh, J. Moana: Daughter of the Chief and Polynesian (in)Visibility in Edited Volume: Recasting the Disney Princess: The Coming of Age of the Empowered Children’s Heroine in the Wake of Social Movements. 

2019    Banh, J. “I Have an Accent in Every Language I Speak!”: Shadow History of One Chinese Family’s Multigenerational Transnational Migrations." Genealogy 3, no. 3: 36.

2019   Banh, J. “Workers’ View on Indigenization of Theme Park: A Case Study in Hong Kong”. International Journal of Business Anthropology 9 (1). 

2019    Banh, J.  Chinese Restaurant Kids Speak About Labor, Lifeways and Legacies in American Chinese Restaurant: Society, Culture and Consumption.

2019    Banh, J. Chinese American Chef Ming Tsai: Life of East and West Hybridity in American Chinese Restaurant: Society, Culture and Consumption

2019    Banh, J.  Culinary Ambassador Chef Martin Yan Speaks: Life, “Authenticity” and the Future of Chinese Restaurants in American Chinese Restaurant: Society, Culture and Consumption