Category: Culture
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From West to East: Reading with an Asian lens
By Charlene Behal When I was younger, I was an avid reader. Literacy was my favourite subject in primary school, and English my favourite in high school. Writing and reading quickly became my passions, even before I was conscious of it. As a sheltered Asian kid, my experiences were limited but I always sought stories […]
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AAP Editors’ Picks: May-July
*DISCLAIMER: This post was originally supposed to be published in May 2022. However, due to scheduling delays, AAP had to push back the publishing date to July 2022. The month of May was an exciting and eventful one for Asians in Australia, and also around the globe. I was lucky enough to spend this May […]
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Racism has a colour, and it’s white.
Something is festering in Australia. Its roots are deep and pervasive. The trail of destruction and harm it brings to our society and communities. It consumes people, even driving people to death.
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‘Tan and Lovely?’ – the intersection of colourism as an Asian-Australian
When people I meet find out that I’m half Indian, they often say, ‘Oh but you don’t look Indian!’, as if it’s a compliment, and that I deserve to be congratulated for having light skin. The one thing that I have had to face growing up at the intersection of having mixed Asian heritage is […]
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Rama-Done Well
As the first week of Ramadan finishes, I am filled with joy and gratitude that I am blessed to see another holy month, inshallah (God-willing). This past week, I gave a speech at an interfaith event where Muslim students broke their fasts with non-Muslim students. That night, a successful and supportive open dialogue was born. […]
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From Mikamo to Tyra Banks: A History of the Double Eyelid Surgery 
For many East Asians with monolid eyes, the prospect of double eyelid surgery looms over us. We are bombarded with images of doe-eyed girls, confronted with shelves stocked full of double-eyelid tape and glue, and, occasionally, presented with the surgery as the ultimate birthday or graduation gift. Regardless of whether we choose to undergo the […]
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We Are Not the Same: Growing Up Without Asian Australian Role Models
Not all heroes wear capes or yellow full body tracksuits. These heroes aren’t necessarily martial artists or warriors of folk tales from bygone eras. Although Western societal stereotypes of Asian minorities are becoming more and more associated with contemporary ones, not all role models are doctors (or playing one), dancers or high earning data crunchers. […]
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一月十蛋 | One Month, Ten Eggs
“Have you eaten yet?”. Words of comfort from our family, friends, and peers. Those words we hear replace questions of “how are you?”. Food is unquestionably, inextricably linked with the way we interact with our cultures and how it has shaped our identity. Deborah Prospero shares a short story exploring how food is just another facet of our identity.
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‘A Woman’s Choice’ – Dispelling the Myths of the Hijab
Women’s bodily autonomy has always been policed by those who do not understand or have a say in the matter. Combine that with islamophobia and you have a situation where women’s bodily autonomy is been criticised to the extent where laws are been passed to make it illegal to wear face and head coverings. World Hijab Day is intended to educate and spread awareness about the hijab and why it is worn. Lina Ali writes about the misunderstandings of the West and why we should not be so quick to judge those women who choose to wear one.
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What does the 26th of January mean to you?
The 26th of January is a complicated day to talk about. It is a day of mourning and grief for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders community but many migrants celebrate this day for it’s association with ‘Australianess’. At times, it seems the Asian Australian community has little awareness of what this day means so we asked some AAP volunteers to find out what the 26th of January meant to them.
asianaustralianproject.com 