{"id":58,"date":"2015-06-17T09:55:59","date_gmt":"2015-06-17T14:55:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/jam\/?page_id=58"},"modified":"2025-06-04T08:51:49","modified_gmt":"2025-06-04T13:51:49","slug":"about-us","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/jam\/about-us\/","title":{"rendered":"About Us"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"et_d4_element et_pb_section et_pb_section_0 et_pb_with_background  et_pb_css_mix_blend_mode et_section_regular et_block_section\" >\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"et_d4_element et_pb_row et_pb_row_0  et_pb_css_mix_blend_mode et_block_row\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"et_d4_element et_pb_column_4_4 et_pb_column et_pb_column_0  et_pb_css_mix_blend_mode et-last-child et_block_column\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"et_pb_module et_d4_element et_pb_text et_pb_text_0  et_pb_text_align_left et_pb_bg_layout_light\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"et_pb_text_inner\"><p>\n<strong>About Us<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div><div class=\"et_pb_module et_d4_element et_pb_text et_pb_text_1  et_pb_text_align_left et_pb_bg_layout_dark\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"et_pb_text_inner\"><p>\nSupported by St. Olaf's Collaborative Undergraduate Research and Inquiry (CURI), Digital Humanities on the Hill, and Associated Colleges of the Midwest (ACM), this project was initiated in the summer of 2015 by Professor Ka Wong of the Asian Studies Department along with two student researchers: Hikari Sugisaki and Paul Sullivan.<\/p>\n<p>Aiming to promote and facilitate undergraduate research in all fields, the CURI program provides opportunities for St. Olaf students\u00a0to work closely with a faculty member in a research framework and gain better and deeper understanding of a particular subject.<\/p>\n<p><em>Beyond the Barbed Wire: Japanese Americans in Minnesota <\/em>is one of the quadrilogy from Professor Wong's digital project \"Asia in Minnesota<em>\"\u00a0<\/em>that also includes\u00a0<em>Behind Myth and Magic: Traditional Chinese Medicine in Minnesota<\/em><em>,\u00a0Beneath the North Star: Southeast Asian Americans in Minnesota, and Between Two Worlds: Hmong Americans in Minnesota<\/em><em>.<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div><div class=\"et_d4_element et_pb_row et_pb_row_1  et_pb_css_mix_blend_mode et_block_row\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"et_d4_element et_pb_column_1_3 et_pb_column et_pb_column_1  et_pb_css_mix_blend_mode et_block_column\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"et_pb_module et_d4_element et_pb_image et_pb_image_0 et_animated et-waypoint\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"et_pb_image_wrap \"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/660\/2015\/06\/IMG_1587.jpg\" alt=\"Behind the scene with Jim K\" title=\"\" \/><\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div><div class=\"et_d4_element et_pb_column_1_3 et_pb_column et_pb_column_2  et_pb_css_mix_blend_mode et_block_column\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"et_pb_module et_d4_element et_pb_image et_pb_image_1 et_animated et-waypoint\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"et_pb_image_wrap \"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/660\/2015\/06\/IMG_1545.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"\" \/><\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div><div class=\"et_d4_element et_pb_column_1_3 et_pb_column et_pb_column_3  et_pb_css_mix_blend_mode et-last-child et_block_column\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"et_pb_module et_d4_element et_pb_image et_pb_image_2 et_animated et-waypoint\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"et_pb_image_wrap \"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/660\/2015\/06\/IMG_1585.jpg\" alt=\"Behind the scene with Bill H\" title=\"\" \/><\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div><div class=\"et_d4_element et_pb_row et_pb_row_2  et_pb_css_mix_blend_mode et_block_row\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"et_d4_element et_pb_column_1_3 et_pb_column et_pb_column_4  et_pb_css_mix_blend_mode et_block_column\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"et_pb_module et_d4_element et_pb_text et_pb_text_2  et_pb_text_align_left et_pb_bg_layout_light\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"et_pb_text_inner\"><p style=\"text-align: left\"><strong>Hikari Sugisaki<\/strong>\u00a0('17) graduated from St. Olaf College with a Bachelor of Arts, triple majoring in Asian Studies, Philosophy, and Studio Art. She also received Distinction in Asian Studies upon her graduation. Born in Japan and raised in Chicago, Hikari has gained an immense interest in Asian Studies since joining St. Olaf. As an immigrant herself, she is interested in how the cultural environment, to which one is exposed, can affect individual lived reality and identity. A bilingual speaker of English and Japanese who also studies Chinese, she finds language and the culture-specific meanings it holds to be a fascinating topic. Hikari hopes to take the experience of working on this project and incorporate it into her future career pursuits, both artistic and academic.<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div><div class=\"et_d4_element et_pb_column_1_3 et_pb_column et_pb_column_5  et_pb_css_mix_blend_mode et_block_column\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"et_pb_module et_d4_element et_pb_text et_pb_text_3  et_pb_text_align_left et_pb_bg_layout_light\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"et_pb_text_inner\"><p style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong>Ka Wong<em>\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>is Professor of Asian Studies and Director of Asian Conversations at St. Olaf College. Exploring the symbiotic ties and tensions between individual identity and cultural discourse across a wide range of topics, his publications encompass four books, along with numerous journal articles and book chapters, spanning areas such as language pedagogy, film, literature, visual culture, and Asian American studies. He has also received various national grants and awards, including National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), Associated Colleges of the Midwest (ACM), ASIANetwork, Council of Independent Colleges (CIC), and Minnesota Historical Society (MNHS), to name a few. His most recent book is <a href=\"https:\/\/shop.mnhs.org\/products\/enmity-and-empathy?srsltid=AfmBOoo2OcQ64zSdwhjc_eRtNugEWDhNAdihnqBxWnLSOM5dJXT9IJTh\"><em>Enmity and Empathy: Japanese Americans in Minnesota During World War II<\/em><\/a>\u00a0(Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2025).\u00a0<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div><div class=\"et_d4_element et_pb_column_1_3 et_pb_column et_pb_column_6  et_pb_css_mix_blend_mode et-last-child et_block_column\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"et_pb_module et_d4_element et_pb_text et_pb_text_4  et_pb_text_align_left et_pb_bg_layout_dark\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"et_pb_text_inner\"><p><strong>Paul Sullivan<\/strong> ('17) received his bachelor's degree from St. Olaf College, majoring in Asian Studies with a China Studies concentration. He is also a recipient of Distinction in Asian Studies upon his graduation. Paul's passion for Asian Studies stems from both his love of learning world languages and his family background. As a member of a multiracial family living in the small village of Decorah, Iowa, he has always been keenly interested in how different cultures interact with one another. \u00a0For him, <em>Beyond the Barbed Wire <\/em>presents a unique chance to examine yet another juncture of two worlds as an undergraduate student. \u00a0He received his Master of Human Rights, Migration &amp; Transpacific Studies from the University of Minnesota in 2022, and is currently serving as an organizer for American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Minnesota.\u00a0<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div><div class=\"et_d4_element et_pb_row et_pb_row_3  et_pb_css_mix_blend_mode et_block_row\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"et_d4_element et_pb_column_4_4 et_pb_column et_pb_column_7  et_pb_css_mix_blend_mode et-last-child et_block_column et_pb_column_empty\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":616,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-58","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/jam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/58","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/jam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/jam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/jam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/616"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/jam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=58"}],"version-history":[{"count":28,"href":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/jam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/58\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1597,"href":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/jam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/58\/revisions\/1597"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/jam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=58"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}