“The Silenced Other: Narratives of Undocumented Asian Americans”

“The Silenced Other: Narratives of Undocumented Asian Americans” considers the unauthorized Asian American population in Los Angeles, California. Negative stereotypes and misinformation about immigrants abound, but this work seeks to move beyond binary and hegemonic understandings of culture to reconceptualize and reimagine the boundaries of what subjects are deemed a valid member of a particular society. Kim’s project is both creative and critical—a novel consisting of episodic vignettes that will question the concept of human rights as exclusively linked to the idea of the nation state. Based on in-depth conversations with undocumented workers, students, parents, and advocates in Los Angeles at varying educational, commercial, and non-profit organizations while observing communities such as Koreatown, Kim is interested in shaping narratives that recognize and validate the stories of undocumented immigrants. This project combines the depth and rigor of academic inquiry with the flexibility and accessibility of an artistic storytelling medium to address an imperative issue of our time—the question of who belongs.