Visiting Professor Pawan Dhingra discusses ‘model minority’ misconceptions, expanding Asian American studies

Author and Professor Pawan Dhingra discuss the expansion of Asian American studies and the historical misconceptions surrounding that Asians are considered the “model minority” in Thursday event It was hosted by Duke and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill at the Karch Alumni Center.

Dhingra is the Nannerl Keohane Distinguished Visiting Professor at Duke and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for the 2022-2023 academic year. Public. In this role, he delivers lecture series to students and faculty at both institutions.

He is also the associate dean and associate dean of the college and the Aliki Perotti and Seth Frank Professor of American Immigration and American Studies at Amherst College. His research focuses on Asian Americans, race, gender, and class intersection, as well as the sociology of immigration.

In the first part of Dhingra’s lecture titled “A Symphony But With What Audience? On the Need to Expand the Reach of Asian American Studies,” he discussed the growing presence of Asian Americans in the United States.

He said scholarship on Asian American studies is on the rise. Additionally, Asian Americans are The fastest growing minority in North Carolina.

Dhingra stated that those who identify as Asian, Asian American, or Pacific Islander are disproportionately overrepresented in Duke Class of 2026 Compared to the NC demographic…