Fusion foods: a Bite Out of History
Asian Australian relationships with our cultural foods are varied and complex. While many recipes and practices can be traced back generations – true products of a unique culture, tradition, and history – others have arisen out of a long and complicated relationship with the West. Just like the plethora of modern Asian-fusion restaurants in the…
How Korean Aussies in K-pop made me love being Asian-Australian
By Charlene Behal For me, the identity of being Asian-Australian is still relatively new to me. I already had a script prepared for when people I met asked me ‘Where are you from?’ The expectation for us, Asian-Australians, was never simply ‘Australia’. I knew that the world’s perception of Australians was simple and a bit…
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…
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…
In Conversation: Asian-Australians in Politics
Prior to the 2022 Federal Election, AAP spoke to emerging and established Asian Australian politicians to talk about how their cultures and identities have shaped the way they’ve interacted and influenced politics. Not often do we talk about our upbringings and how that’s affected the way we’ve interacted with the political system in Australia. From war…
Rachael Jacobs
Can you tell us a bit about your cultural background and where you were before deciding to become/run as a politician? My family is culturally Indian. My dad was born in Chittagong, which is now part of Bangladesh, and my mother was born in Lucknow, which is in the north of India. So that’s where…
Sheneli Dona
Can you tell us a bit about your cultural background and where you were before deciding to become/run as a politician? I’m Sri Lankan – my parents migrated to Australia in 2000 with my sister and I. at the time I was only 18 months. My dad got a job here – better opportunities. Prior…
Sujan Selven
சுஜன் Can you tell us a bit about your cultural background and where you were before deciding to become/run as a politician? I am Tamil from Sri Lanka, I moved to Australia when I was 15 years old and went to high school and then went to Territory College. I did my Marketing and Business…
Sujit Mathew
Can you tell us a bit about your cultural background and where you were before deciding to become/run as a politician? My cultural background – I’m Southeast Asian, my family is from India. I’m from a pure conservative catholic Indian family. As kids, we used to go to church almost everyday and specifically Sundays as…
Jenny Leong
梁珍妮 Can you tell us a bit about your cultural background and where you were before deciding to become/run as a politician? I was born in Adelaide in South Australia, and you know, in colloquial, friendly circles I am known as an ABC– so, an Australian-Born Chinese. It’s always a bit of an amusing thing…
Mehreen Faruqi
مہرین Can you tell us a bit about your cultural background and where you were before deciding to become a politician? I grew up in Lahore in Punjab in Pakistan. Lahoris are very proud of who they are. There’s a saying which is very popular in Lahore: “Those who haven’t seen Lahore haven’t been born…
Penny Wong
黄英贤 Can you tell us about your cultural background, and where you were before you decided to enter politics? I was born in Malaysia and my father was Malaysian-Chinese. His dad was Cantonese and his mother, my grandmother, was Hakka. My dad had a scholarship to study at Adelaide University, where he met my mum,…
Chetan Sahai
चेतन सहाय Can you tell us a bit about your cultural background and where you were before deciding to become/run as a politician? Both parents are of Indian descent, my father is from Bihar and my mother is from Sindh. My grandparents had to flee during the partition, there was lots of fighting and riots…
Apurva Shukla
Can you tell us a bit about your cultural background and where you were before deciding to become/run as a politician? I graduated last year – I studied a degree at UNSW and I’m now working in the IT sector. I was born in India and came to Australia when I was 1. Like so…
Zhi Soon
孙先志 Can you tell us about your cultural background, and where you were before you decided to become a politician? I’m a really proud Asian-Australian, I’m really proud of having that as my identity. I was born in Kuala Lampur in Malaysia in 1985, and my family migrated to Australia in 1989. So I come…
Decision Division: A View of Intergenerational Voting in Asian Australian Communities
“The job of every generation is to discover the flaws of the one that came before it. That’s part of growing up, figuring out all the ways your parents and their friends are broken.” The quote from American-Australian writer Justine Larbalestier’s Zombies vs Unicorns,was printed in 2010 – just over ten years ago. At the…
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.
‘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…
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.…
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…
‘Breaking the Bias’ – Women who are shattering the ceiling
Michelle LawWith novels like ‘Sh*t Asian Mothers Say’ and ‘Asian Girls are Going Places’, Michelle Law continues to prove that Asian Australian women and voices matter, and that they deserve a place in our society to share their experiences just as much as any other woman. Being a screenwriter, author, and playwright, not only has…
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.…
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…
Asian Australian Project submission to the Australian Human Rights Commission
Developing an National Anti-Racism Framework The Asian Australian Project are proud to contribute our submission to the Australian Human Right’s Commission’s ‘National Anti-Racism Framework” AAP’s submission was prepared by our incredible team of volunteers, and focused on the lived and anecdotal experiences of Asian Australians. Through consultation with community members, family, friends, colleagues, and peers…
‘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…
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…
2021: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly? – The Wins and Triumphs
Reflecting on 2021 means remembering the positive as well. It’s difficult to think about the positive when the negative overshadowed a lot of the public and news coverage. Asian Australians had some amazing triumphs in 2021, from increased representation to our stories being told on a mainstream platform. As we start off the new year,…
2021: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly? – The Baddest and Ugliest
As we move out of 2021 and into 2022, we want to reflect on everything that has happened. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. It’s been a tulmotous year for Asian Australians, and more broadly for Asians worldwide. Lina Ali unpacks the Baddest and Ugliest, and what this year has meant for Asians, and…
We’re Not Immune: A Reality Check about Eating Disorders within Asian communities
As we move towards the holiday season and away from the International Day for People with Disabilities and UN Human Rights, it’s important to acknowledge that the holiday season can be a difficult time for those with disability. The central place of food in Asian cultures during celebrations can be problematic in relation to eating…
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The Asian Australian Project blog. Here you can read more about our events, meet some of the team and other musings on life from the Asian-Australian perspective.
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