Bio/CV:
James Sun is an interdisciplinary historian, educator, and environmental activist whose interest in Asian American environmental justice and history stems from not only their own Chinese American identity growing up in Midwestern suburbia but also their strong desire to learn more about the world around them. Before starting their Ph.D., they served as a substitute teacher of computer science and algebra in Virginia, taught English on a year-long Fulbright Fellowship in South Korea, and worked at an environmental non-profit focused on cement and concrete decarbonization. During their undergraduate at Yale University, they majored in Global Affairs and Statistics & Data Science with a minor in Chinese while working at the Yale Office of Sustainability for all four years, among other part-time jobs.
Their current research interests revolve around rice, farming, and food--some of the loves of their life. They are interested in how and why rice developed in other countries and eventually came to the U.S.; farming communities around rice production, including interethnic and queer relations on farms, labor history, and sociopolitical history; the racialization of rice; and the environmental impacts of growing rice, especially in states that are drought-stricken, like California.
Research interests:
Asian American and Asian Diaspora Studies (AAADS)
Role:
