With the support of the Henry Luce Foundation, the Berkeley Center for the Study of Religion (BCSR) is pleased to launch a four-year program with the Asian Pacific American Religions Research Initiative (APARRI).
APARRI is a vibrant scholarly community committed to promoting the critical awareness of Asian Pacific American religions and fostering the next generation of scholars and community leaders. Our mission is to work towards a society in which Asian Pacific American religions are valued, recognized, and central to the understanding of American public life. By advancing the interdisciplinary and engaged study of Asian Pacific Americans and their religious realities through conferences, mentoring, research, collaboration, and community partnerships, APARRI will ensure the legacy of Asian Pacific American religions within the broader American religious and racial landscape. This partnership will also invigorate the study of race and religion at the BCSR.
This project’s goals and proposed programming are outlined below:
- Advance scholarship on Asian Pacific American Religions
To advance scholarship on APA religions, we will convene an annual 3-day scholarly conference, disburse research grants to individual scholars and working groups on APA religions, connect graduate students with faculty mentors, offer media training to APA scholars, and sponsor the Mapping Asian American Buddhism in Southern California Project.
- Promote public knowledge collaboration between APA faith communities and scholars
To promote the exchange of knowledge between APA faith communities and scholars, we will fund collaborative projects between APA faith communities and scholars.
- Support the public expression of APA religions through the arts
To support the public expression of APA religions through the arts, we will sponsor workshops on religion, race, and storytelling that bring together artists and students, and collaborate with local community groups to digitally archive Asian American religious experiences.
- Invigorate the study of race and religion at the Berkeley Center for the Study of Religion (BCSR)
To advance the study of race and religion at UC Berkeley, we will sponsor a public lecture series, fund graduate working groups on religion, and offer research grants to students studying race, ethnicity, and religion.
BCSR Co-Director, Carolyn Chen, will serve as the Principle Investigator along with Co-PIs Tammy Ho (UC Riverside), Jane Iwamura (University of the West) and Khyati Joshi (Fairleigh Dickinson University).
BCSR Co-Director, Carolyn Chen; Tammy Ho (UC Riverside); Jane Iwamura (University of the West); Khyati Joshi (Fairleigh Dickinson University)
About the Henry Luce Foundation:
The Henry Luce Foundation seeks to enrich public discourse by promoting innovative scholarship, cultivating new leaders, and fostering international understanding. Established in 1936 by Henry R. Luce, the co-founder and editor-in-chief of Time, Inc., the Luce Foundation advances its mission through grantmaking and leadership programs in the fields of Asia, higher education, religion and theology, art, and public policy.
