Rad Chinese Podcast

Shelly Chan creates the concept of “diaspora moments” in her book Diaspora’s Homeland, but what does it mean exactly? Listen in as we chat about how merging branches with git […]

We start with the science of how Arctic ice melts, and how Arctic environments are crucial for the health of the entire planet. Then, we compare how about China and […]

We read Diaspora’s Homeland to learn how the folks in the Chinese diaspora have and can impact culture and politics in China, even if we’re in America. We read Chapter […]

Border imperialism is a tool of white supremacy to maintain wealth through capitalism. Given the following formula: Dispossession + Displacement = Capitalism, then Border Imperialism is the set of practices […]

How can we understand Love Life of an Asian Guy’s facebook feed and work in the context of activism that fights for the liberation of all oppressed people? Listen in […]

What do Filipinx and Hawaiian colonial history have in common? And what can Chinese on the U.S. mainland learn from them? Listen as we discuss how Filipinx moved to Hawai’i […]

What is Asian Settler Colonialism? Listen as we read about indigenous struggle in Hawai‘i and how Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Filipinix, along with white folks began and continue to colonize Hawai‘i. […]

Building on our understanding of what romantic relationships look like without toxic masculinity and the current discourse of Asian American sexuality, how do we assert these values in public spaces? […]

After reviewing the progressive AAPI discourse on Asian American sexuality,  2 men and 1 gender non-conforming person ask whether masculinity is even needed in this world. While it seems like […]

Listen to 2 men and 1 gender non-conforming person review Asian American sexuality’s major touch-points as it’s discussed in progressive AAPI circles. We read through Reappopriate, one of the most […]

Listen to 3 Chinese men in America and a gender non-conforming humyn talk about their experiences of masculinity. Hear how they respond differently to emasculation myths with different coping strategies […]

When you feel internalized white supremacy, how do you respond to it or counteract it? Tune in to hear our discussion.

Listen as we discuss our different perspectives on crafting a new Chinese-American narrative that is true to our experience and counters anti-blackness or internalized white supremacy.  

Rad Chinese discusses Asian American coalitions: issues that bring us together, speaking to your own community vs other communities, and East Asian Americans contributions to the erasure of other voices. […]

In Episode #11, Rebecca, Alex, and Rad Chinese folks discuss the events leading up to Sa-i-gu and reflect on the role Chinese should play in Pan-Asian activism. Can we learn from other Asian-American experiences to tackle anti-blackness in our own community? Should we organize around white supremacy or does that preclude us from using mainstream media channels for outreach? Tune-in to hear the one major takeaway Rebecca, Alex, and Rad Chinese folks got from their first look into this overlooked significant event in Asian-American history.

In Episode #10, Alex, Kim, and Rebecca discuss how Chinese cast narratives for the white gaze, helping to kick off the model minority myth Post-WWII. Even while teenage "delinquency" was rising in its community, Chinatown throughout the 50's and 60's responded by creating myths around non-delinquency -- that Chinese children are well-behaved, studious, and morally upright. What model minority myths are still in place today from narratives cast 60 years ago to protect Chinese from deportations and make Chinatown be seen by white people as a safe commercial destination? Tune-in to hear the one major takeaway Alex, Kim, and Rebecca got from studying this shockingly reminiscent history of the model minority myth.

In Episode #9, Rebecca, Kim, Alex, and Rad Chinese folks discuss anti-blackness and "white worship" for Chinese in America and Chinese in China, using the framework of center and periphery for the importance carried by inter-relating narratives from the Episode #7's topic recap. Should there be developing a trans-national movement for Chinese or should we prioritize our own needs in America? Tune-in to hear how Rebecca, Kim, Alex, and Rad Chinese folks weigh the options for what narratives to amplify to counter our internalized white supremacy.

In Episode #8, Rebecca, Kim, Alex, and Rad Chinese folks discuss anti-blackness in our communities by responding to the question, "Are we brown?" as inspired by the idea that identity is politically constructed in response to current events from Episode #7. What are the barriers to taking down anti-blackness in Chinese communities and how can we respond? Tune-in to hear how Rebecca, Kim, Alex, and Rad Chinese folks dig into their experience and explore possibilities for undoing the anti-blackness.

In Episode #7, Rebecca, Kim, Alex, and Rad Chinese folks discuss what is the nature of identity in diaspora using as a case study, Lim Boon Keng, a Chinese in Singapore whose identity changed along with current events. Can you be authentically Chinese and born outside of China? How is identity constructed for those in diaspora vs. those in the homeland? Tune-in to hear the one major takeaway Rebecca, Kim, and Alex got from studying this little-known case study of a famous person's identity in diaspora.

In Episode #6, Alex, Rebecca, and Rad Chinese folks identify narratives that we should build today to counter political repression, especially in light of how Chinese responded in the 1950s to Cold War repression in Episode #4. What is the importance of building bridges, speaking to white supremacy, and speaking to people's interests? Tune-in to hear how Alex, Rebecca, and Rad Chinese folks identify important narratives that enable ongoing resistance in dark political times.

In Episode #5, Alex, Rebecca, and Rad Chinese folks reflect on how Chinese in America can better respond to pressures to conform, especially in a repressive political environment like the 1950s as discussed in Episode #4. What is the role of material wealth, political pragmatism, and model minority myth in promoting nationalist/colonizing projects? Tune-in to hear how Alex, Rebecca, and Rad Chinese folks imagine possibilities for how Chinese can be in solidarity with other oppressed people of color.

In Episode #4, Alex Au and Rebecca Wei discuss the model minority myth's historical origins for Chinese in America in the 1950s. In response to political repression, Chinese in America responded with gung-ho patriotism and even complicity in repressing fellow Chinese on the Left. Was it fear of deportation that led them down this path or was it something about being an immigrant, Chinese, or aspiring to wealth based on white supremacy? Tune-in to hear the one major takeaway Alex and Rebecca got from studying this little-known history of the model minority myth.

In Episode #3, Alex, Kim, and Rad Chinese folks brainstorm ways to guide friends and family to see and discard their role in perpetuating model minority myth, in the context […]

In Episode #2, Alex, Kim, and Rad Chinese folks reflect on the nature of model minority myth in the context of their family history and experience, in response to its early history discussed in Episode #1. When your family immigrated to the US gives the model minority myth a different flavor, but does that make it less anti-black or classist? Tune-in to hear how Alex, Kim, and Rad Chinese folks feel about the model minority myth in their own lives and community today.

In Episode #1, Alex Au and Kim The discuss the model minority myth's historical origins for Chinese in America in the 1940s. The Myth asserts anti-blackness and classism through erasure, even back then before it was given a name. Understanding the history and especially Chinese people's complicity in the making of the Myth gives us a foundation for how to think about and discard the Myth today. Tune-in to hear the one major takeaway Alex and Kim got from studying this little-known history of the model minority myth.