LibGuides: Asian American Literature: Historical/Cultural Research

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Below are a few of the library's print books on Asian American history and culture. Use the Book Catalog link above to search for more.

The Making of Asian America by Erika Lee
Call Number: 305.895 LEE

ISBN: 9781476739403

Publication Date: 2015-09-01

The Making of Asian America shows how generations of Asian immigrants and their American-born descendants have made and remade Asian American life, from sailors who came on the first trans-Pacific ships in the 1500 to the Japanese Americans incarcerated during World War II. Over the past fifty years, a new Asian America has emerged out of community activism and the arrival of new immigrants and refugees. But as Lee shows, Asian Americans have continued to struggle as both “despised minorities” and “model minorities,” revealing all the ways that racism has persisted in their lives and in the life of the country.
People and Cultures of Hawaii by John F. McDermott (Editor); Naleen Naupaka Andrade (Editor)
Call Number: H 155.8 PEO 2011

ISBN: 9780824835804

Publication Date: 2011-04-30

History and description of 15 ethnic groups in Hawaii, including the Chinese, Japanese, Okinawans, Koreans, and Vietnamese.
Pau Hana: Plantation Life and Labor in Hawaii, 1835-1920 by Ronald T. Takaki
Call Number: H 331.7 TAK

ISBN: 0824808657

Publication Date: 1983-10-01

"Using primary resources, songs, historical tracts, and census data, Takaki brings together the various ethnic perspectives into a cogent account of the history, culture, and economy of sugar cane plantation existence." --from WorldCat
Japanese in Hawaii by Dorothy Hazama; Janie Kemeiji
Call Number: H 305.8956 HAZ 2008

ISBN: 9781573062862

Publication Date: 2008-11-01

Facing injustices and hardships upon arriving in Hawaii, Japanese contract immigrants demonstrated determination and perseverance in their struggle to gain acceptance. Later, as members of the legendary 100th Battalion and 442nd Regimental Combat Team, as well as unsung heroes of the Interpreters' group, these same virtues helped them emerge among the leaders during the postwar years to shape the new Hawaii. The Japanese in Hawaii: Okage Sama De is a chronological account of these immigrants. Enhanced by oral history excerpts and brief biographical sketches, it includes numerous photographs, many from treasured family albums, adding a personal dimension to the history. Previously published in 1986, this new publication has been updated for 2008.
Culture and Customs of Japan by Noriko Kamachi; Hanchao Lu (Editor)
Call Number: 952 KAM

ISBN: 0313301972

Publication Date: 1999-11-30

Their society has been changing rapidly in modern times, yet for most Japanese, cultural traditions retain their importance in daily life. This volume highlights those traditional Japanese elements in modern society, providing an engaging examination of religious rituals, classic and modern literature, performing arts, fine arts and handicrafts, housing, clothing, women's roles and family life, holidays and festivals, and social customs.
Good Luck Life by Rosemary Gong
Call Number: 394.26951 GON

ISBN: 0060735368

Publication Date: 2005-01-25

Presents a comprehensive examination of Chinese rituals, holidays, and celebrations and contains recipes, legends, and stories of Chinese New Year, Mid-Autumn, and other festivals.
Food Culture in China by Jacqueline M. Newman
Call Number: 641.5951 NEW

ISBN: 0313325812

Publication Date: 2004-08-30

Presents an overview of the role of cuisine in Chinese culture, including a food history, ingredients, cooking techniques, regional differences, food for celebrations, and the role of diet in Chinese medicine.
Entry Denied by Sucheng Chan
Call Number: 305.8951 ENT

ISBN: 0877227985

Publication Date: 1991-03-25

A collection of essays on how the Chinese exclusion laws were implemented and how the Chinese as individuals and as a community in the U.S. mobilized to mitigate the restrictions imposed upon them.

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Cultures of the World

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Cultures of the World is a series that provides information on the geography, history, wildlife, governmental structure, economy, cultural diversity, peoples, religion, and culture of each country.

Each book is available in print (see call number) or online (click on the book title).

China
Call Number: 951 FER

ISBN: 9781502666963

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This book provides information on the geography, history, wildlife, governmental structure, economy, cultural diversity, peoples, religion, and culture of China.
Cultures of the World Series
Japan by Rex Shelley
Call Number: 952 SHE

ISBN: 9781608707843

Publication Date: 2012
South Korea
Call Number: 951.95 DUB

ISBN: 9781502670649

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This book provides information on the geography, history, wildlife, governmental structure, economy, cultural diversity, peoples, religion, and culture of South Korea.
Cultures of the World Series
Taiwan by Azra Moiz; Debbie Nevins; Janice Wu
Call Number: 951.249 MOI

ISBN: 9781502618467

Publication Date: 2017
Vietnam by Audrey Seah; Charissa Nair; Debbie Nevins
Call Number: 959.7 SEA

ISBN: 9781502600806

Publication Date: 2014
Philippines
Call Number: 959.9 TOP

ISBN: 9781502667007

This book provides information on the geography, history, wildlife, governmental structure, economy, cultural diversity, peoples, religion, and culture of Philippines.
Cultures of the World Series

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Ebook Central (ProQuest)
Access over 100,000 authoritative and copyrighted academic level electronic books. Includes Academic Complete, DEI, and University Press collections.

Below are a few of the library's eBooks on Asian American history and culture. Use the links above to search our eBook collections for more.

The History and Culture of Japanese Food
By Naomichi Ishige. Traces the development of Japanese cuisine "from the paleolithic and neolithic eras before rice was cultivated in Japan to the formative period between the sixth and fifteenth centuries" into the modern age. "Typical dishes and beverages, ingredients, methods of preparation, origins, etiquette, the aesthetics of presentation, eating implements and cooking utensils are presented in the wider social, political and economic contexts." -- from the publisher
A Dictionary of Japanese Food : Ingredients & Culture
By Richard Hosking. Defines and describes Japanese food and ingredients. The appendices provide more in-depth information on various aspects of Japanese cuisine.
No Sword to Bury : Japanese Americans in Hawaii
By Franklin Odo. "When bombs rained down on Pearl Harbor in 1941, Japanese American college students were among the many young men enrolled in ROTC and immediately called upon to defend the Hawaiian islands against invasion. In a few weeks, however, the military government questioned their loyalty and disarmed them. In No Sword to Bury, Franklin Odo places the largely untold story of the wartime experience of these young men in the context of the community created by their immigrant families and its relationship to the larger, white-dominated society. At the heart of the book are vivid oral histories that recall their service on the home front in the Varsity Victory Volunteers, a non-military group dedicated to public works, as well as in the segregated 442nd Regimental Combat Team." --from the publisher
Japanese Americans : From Relocation to Redress
Edited by Roger Daniels, Sandra C. Taylor, Harry H. L. Kitano, and Leonard J. Arrington. The most complete and current published account of the Japanese American experience from the evacuation order of World War II to the public policy debate over redress and reparations.
Chinese Ancestor Worship : A Practice and Ritual Oriented Approach to Understanding Chinese Culture
By William Lakos. This book is a new approach to how we in the West understand China and Chinese culture. It challenges the master narrative of Confucianism and shows that ancestor worship has underpinned Chinese culture in many influential and vital ways and provides a nuanced and more efficacious paradigm through which Chinese culture may be viewed.It is an exposition and analysis of Chinese ancestor worship and its correlations, especially filial piety and ritual, and it shows the intrinsic importance of ancestor worship to Chinese culture.
Okinawa: The History of an Island People
The fascinating history of the island and its environs, from 1314 A.D. to the late twentieth century. First published in 1958, this edition features an introduction and appendix by Okinawa history scholar Mitsugu Sakihara, making this the most comprehensive resource on the intriguing island of Okinawa.
A History of Korea : From Land of the Morning Calm to States in Conflict
by Jinwung Kim. "In this comprehensive new history of Korea from the prehistoric era to the present day, Jinwung Kim recounts the rich and fascinating story of the political, social, cultural, economic, and diplomatic developments in Korea's long march to the present."

Encyclopedia of Food and Culture

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Encyclopedia of Food and Culture by Solomon H. Katz; William Woys Weaver
Call Number: R 394.12 ENC

ISBN: 9780684314167

Publication Date: 2003

Available in print or online (click the title). Three-volume survey of food and its place in human culture and society. Alphabetically sorted.

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Daily Life Through History (ABC-CLIO | Bloomsbury)

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World Religions: Belief, Culture, and Controversy (ABC-CLIO | Bloomsbury)

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