SUNY/CUNY SEAC

Research and Publication Grants

Congratulations to Our Awardees!

Congratulations to the recipients of our inaugural round of research and publications grants! These grants facilitate graduate student and faculty research, including language training necessary for that research, as well as faculty publication-related costs. (We will have another round of awards next semester—stay tuned!) We wish our awardees all the best in their work!

  • Research Grant

    Quang Chau

    Research Grant

    (SUNY Albany, PhD student)

    Project Title: “Grassroots Democracy at Non-political Institutions in Vietnam: Case study of Direct University Presidential Elections”

    Chau's research investigates direct university presidential elections in Vietnam during the late 1980s and early 1990s. This under-explored topic contributes to understanding democratization processes in one-party states. The study aims to explore the influence of direct elections at non-political institutions on political democratization, with potential implications for comparative studies in Southeast Asian countries like Indonesia.

  • Donal Thomas

    Research Grant

    (Stony Brook University, PhD student)

    Project Title: “Environmental Mobilizations and Knowledge Transfer from the Natural World of the Indian Ocean World: Imperial Inroad to the Ecology and Environment of Southeast Asia”

    Thomas's project examines the historical exchange of place-based knowledge systems across the Indian Ocean World. Focusing on environmental mobilizations, indigeneity, and knowledge networks, the study investigates colonial intrusions into the environment and ecology of Southeast Asia during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. It explores the transfer of indigenous knowledge across states and its impact on understanding the natural world, science, medicine, and empire.

  • Timothy August

    Publication Grant

    (Stony Brook University, Professor)

    Project Title: “The Culinary Unconscious: Representing Asian America in a Global Age”

    Dr. August's project explores the representation of culinary activity as a significant aspect of articulating and forming Asian America. Drawing from the work of Asian Americanist scholars, the project investigates how terms like "street food" and "home cooking" contribute to positioning Asian Americans in relation to other ethnic groups. The study focuses on key texts by Southeast Asian American creators, examining the role of culinary imagery in shaping cultural identity.