Dr. Curtiss Takada Rooks’ lecture incorporates a diasporic multicultural Japanese American history and experience through the lens of his wife’s pioneer family (she is a Sansei; third generation Japanese American), his family (an interracial “War Bride” family) and his intersectional family linking multiple communities within and outside the Japanese American community. In particular, Dr. Takada Rooks examines the notions of ethnic community revitalization, retention and resilience in the face of the challenges of COVID-19 and racial unrest. Ample time will be provided to interact with Dr. Rooks, so bring plenty of questions.
EVENT: Talk on “A Japanese America Story: Resilience, Retention and Revitalization”
WHEN: December 9, 2022 (Friday), 13:20~14:50 (3rd period)
WHERE: AGU; Aoyama Campus; 17-311 (3rd Fl of Building 17) Click here.
LANGUAGE: English
TARGET AUDIENCE: All English Department IE students and any other interested students and faculty. individuals from outside of the university are also welcome.
Prepare questions for Dr. Rooks by clicking on THIS FORM.
Biography:
Born in Kanagawa Japan to a native Japanese mother and African American father, Dr. Rooks earned his B.A. in 1979 with a double major in Economics and Asian Studies (honors) from Dartmouth College. He received his M.A. in Public Policy from Trinity College in 1982 and his Ph.D. in Comparative Culture from the University of California, Irvine. In 1996, he was a University of California Regents Fellow. Prior to his appointment at LMU, Dr. Takada Rooks was a tenured assistant professor in Asian American Studies at San Jose State University.
His research interests include applied community-based research focusing on Asian American and Pacific Islander civic engagement, cultural competency in community health and ethnic community development. Current projects include an examination of AAPI community civic engagement organizations’ multilateral responses to COVID-19, the racial unrest in the wake the murder of George Floyd, and voter participation. A second research trajectory focuses on Asian American multiracial identity and diversity.
To be better prepared for the event and to learn something about Japanese American cultural history, check out this informative website: https://densho.org/.
Also, refer to these articles to be even better prepared:
His full biography: カーティス・タカダ・ルークス (Curtiss Takada Rooks)
ニッケイを見いだす：詩のコラムWonder
Reflections on Being Mixed, but Not Mixed Up
Teachers can have their students do this task to help them prepare for the talk: https://www.agu4u.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Multicultural-Identity-TASK.pdf
[Answer key available upon request.]
