Synopses & Reviews
Originating in the 1968 student-led strike at San Francisco State University, Asian American Studies was founded as a result of student and community protests that sought to make education more accessible and relevant. While members of the Asian American communities initially served on the departmental advisory boards, planning and developing areas of the curriculum, university pressures eventually dictated their expulsion. At that moment in history, the intellectual work of the field was split off from its relation to the community at large, giving rise to the entire problematic of representation in the academic sphere.
Even as the original objectives of the field have remained elusive, Asian American studies has nevertheless managed to establish itself in the university. Mark Chiang argues that the fundamental precondition of institutionalization within the university is the production of cultural capital, and that in the case of Asian American Studies (as well as other fields of minority studies), the accumulation of cultural capital has come primarily from the conversion of political capital. In this way, the definition of cultural capital becomes the primary terrain of political struggle in the university, and outlines the very conditions of possibility for political work within the academy. Beginning with the theoretical debates over identity politics and cultural nationalism, and working through the origins of ethnic studies in the Third World Strike, the formation of the Asian American literary field, and the Blu's Hanging controversy, The Cultural Capital of Asian American Studies articulates a new and innovative model of cultural and academic politics, illuminating the position of ethnic studies within the American university.
Review
"Chiang directly challenges many shibboleths of Asian American Studies. For just this reason, The Cultural Capital of Asian American Studies is certain to be a watershed work in the field of Asian American literary and cultural studies."
-James Kyung-Jin Lee,University of California, Santa Barbara
Review
"The five chapters of the book engage in a systematic analysis of key moments and texts that have shaped the field in its current form...represents a fine work of scholarship and a significant contribution ot the field of Asian American studies" -John Su,The Journal of Asian Studies
Synopsis
Electronic mail, personal organizers, voice mail, all were introduced as time-saving devices designed to promote an easier and more efficient workplace. Yet many professionals find that making effective use of these new forms of communication technology can become a time-consuming task. In this handbook written for the office of the 21st century, Barbara Etzel and Peter J. Thomas provide guidance for those struggling to manage the growing volume of mail, memos, e-mail messages, and electronic documents that arrives daily.
Personal Information Management details the skills professionals need to process this information, save time, and work more effectively. Etzel and Thomas present common organizational difficulties and enumerate concrete techniques for overcoming them. They guide the reader through a variety of computer software and hardware products, paper-based information products, and personal time management techniques, helping the reader to develop and individually-tailored Personal Information Management Strategy.
Technologies covered include accounting and business software, word processors, databases, personal organizers, e-mail programs, tracking and storage packages, personal digital assistants, CD-Roms, computer backup devices, scanning device, voice mail, cellular phones, beepers, and fax machines, to name only a few. including an appendix listing the names and addresses of companies that Produce information technologies, Personal Information Technologies is essential reading for anyone suffering from information overload. Designed to be adaptable to emerging technologies, the techniques they provide will be applicable regardless for what the information age brings next.
About the Author
Barbara Etzel is proprietor of a management consulting business in Chicago that helps professionals manage their personal information and work more efficiently.
Peter J. Thomas is Professor of Information Management and has written a number of books on information technology, including The Social Dimensions of Human-Computer Interfaces.