Mapping Solidarity, Liberation, and Activism: A Critical Autoethnography of Asian American Leaders in Counseling

Abstract

Researchers have documented the disproportionate amount of racism against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) and a wide swath of exclusionary leadership practices in professional contexts (e.g., higher education, academia, professional associations). AAPI leaders have been largely underrepresented in counseling leadership, higher education, and the broader profession. Due to stereotypes associated with the bamboo ceiling and the model minority, AAPI communities are overlooked for advancement and leadership opportunities while experiencing racial discrimination in a given context (e.g., workplace). However, AAPI leaders can draw from multiple pathways that instill liberation and leverage activism to sustain their footing in leadership spaces. Using an AsianCrit paradigm and critical collaborative autoethnography, seven Asian American counseling leaders explored their experiences with leadership to illustrate the cultural contexts that identified opportunities for solidarity, liberation, and activism. Findings culminated in four themes: (1) recognition; (2) embracing standpoint, social identities, and cultural heritage; (3) resisting through research, scholarship, and leadership; and (4) leaning on community.

In Their Experience: A Review of Racial and Sexual Minority Experience in Academe and Proposals for Building an Inclusive Criminology

“…Some describe academia as a place of professional, emotional, and epistemic violence and aggression (Behl, 2019; Simatele, 2018), which causes them to question their own efficacy (Goings, 2015) and connection with their communities (Montoya, 1994). Authors note resistance and challenges by students in the classroom, particularly concerning issues of race and privilege (Brooms & Brice, 2017; Chan et al, 2021). Mentorship relationships prove an important and consistent theme in othered academic experience (Chang et al, 2014; Hsieh & Nguyen, 2020; Mokhtar & Foley, 2020; Moua, 2018).…”

How It Feels to Be Asian in U.S. Academic Libraries and Higher Education: A Systematic Review of Challenges and Coping Strategies

“…Additionally, Asian and Asian American employees might be excluded from important decision making, discounted, undermined, ignored, dismissed, credentials questioned, or viewed as an inadequate leader (Chan et al, 2021;Choi & Lim, 2021;Han, 2014;Hsieh & Nguyen, 2021;E. Kim et al, 2014;F.…”

“…Underrepresentation of Asian and Asian American employees in U.S. higher education leadership roles is evident (Chan et al, 2021;G. M. H. Kim & Cooc, 2021;Le, 2016b;F.…”

“…Coalition, collaboration, and family served as integral factors for success and activism of Asian and Asian American employees in U.S. academic libraries and higher education (Chan et al, 2021;Hsieh & Nguyen, 2021;Le, 2016aLe, , 2016b. These affinity spaces provide safety and help them develop their leadership (Chan et al, 2021;Le, 2016a) and find greater strength (Hsieh & Nguyen, 2021). Collaborations can take different forms, such as co-authorship, cochairing, collaborating on a grant application, or peer mentorship.…”

“…Additionally, Asian and Asian American employees can reclaim their collective right to thrive and be recognized for their contributions through culturally-informed coalitional resistance, as opposed to individual resistance which can be more career-threatening and exhausting (Hsieh & Nguyen, 2021). Furthermore, resisting through research and scholarship was also mentioned by some authors (e.g., Chan et al, 2021;Han, 2014), as a pathway to withstand oppression and "counter Asian essentialism" (Chan et al, 2021, p. 257).…”