Thriving Together: An Exploration of Nonbinary Asian/Asian American Identity Formation and Identity-Based Communities
Abstract/Contents
- Abstract
- This research explores two topics: the ways nonbinary Asian Americans conceptualize and reconcile with the intersections of their race and gender and the role of identity-based communities in identity formation. I conducted semi-structured interviews with five individuals who identify as Asian/Asian American and nonbinary, and all individuals either currently live or have lived in the Bay Area. All research participants, including myself, are also involved with APIENC (also known as API Equality - Northern California), an identity-based, queer and trans Asian and Pacific Islander organization based out of San Francisco Chinatown. Analysis of interview transcripts identified the different and unique experiences of nonbinary Asians/Asian Americans in order to better understand their processes of identity formation and their experiences in identity-based communities. Findings indicate that identity formation for nonbinary Asians/Asian Americans can involve internal and external tension, but the self-identification of nonbinary ultimately brought feelings of affirmation, completeness, and liberation. Furthermore, participants sought out identity-based spaces for community, and while some had previous negative experiences, all participants ultimately held deep love and appreciation for communities such as APIENC. APIENC was particularly successful at fostering belonging and community because of its focus on values-based organizing, accessibility, and deep relationships. Further research is needed to explore the impact of other axes of identity and the differences between intersectional and non-intersectional identity-based spaces in their capacity to foster inclusivity and community.
Description
| Type of resource | text |
|---|---|
| Date created | May 11, 2020 |
Creators/Contributors
| Author | Phan, Huanvy |
|---|---|
| Primary advisor | Brody, Jennifer |
| Advisor | Wilcox, Mike |
Subjects
| Subject | Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity |
|---|---|
| Subject | CSRE |
| Subject | Center for Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity |
| Subject | CCSRE |
| Subject | Asian American Studies |
| Subject | ASNAMST |
| Subject | nonbinary |
| Subject | identity formation |
| Subject | community |
| Genre | Thesis |
Bibliographic information
Access conditions
- Use and reproduction
- User agrees that, where applicable, content will not be used to identify or to otherwise infringe the privacy or confidentiality rights of individuals. Content distributed via the Stanford Digital Repository may be subject to additional license and use restrictions applied by the depositor.
- License
- This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike 3.0 Unported license (CC BY-NC-SA).
Preferred citation
- Preferred Citation
- Phan, Huanvy. (2020). Thriving Together: An Exploration of Nonbinary Asian/Asian American Identity Formation and Identity-Based Communities. Stanford Digital Repository. Available at: https://purl.stanford.edu/dk924rp1964
Collection
Stanford University, Program in Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity, Honors Theses
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- Contact
- huanvyp@gmail.com
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