Boxed In or Out? Balikbayan Boxes as Metaphors for Filipino American (Dis)Location

Balikbayan (from the Tagalog words balik, to return, and bayan, town or nation) boxes, which mostly contain pasalubong, or gifts, for relatives and friends, are staples in the transnational existence of many Filipinos and have come to represent the balikbayans, or the returning persons, themselves. Utilizing the rites of passage concept and the dialectic of gift-giving, reciprocity and reproduction, this article looks at balikbayan boxes as metaphors for the dislocation experienced and felt by many first-generation Filipino Americans. It presents the preparation of the boxes as an allegory for the bonds that bind Filipino Americans to those who remain in the Philippines. In reading these boxes as a location of balikbayan identity, it emphasizes the liminal status of first generation Filipino Americans both in their native and adopted countries.Les boîtes balikbayan (du tagalog balik, revenir et bayan, ville ou pays), qui contiennent surtout des pasalubong, ou cadeaux, pour les parents ou amis, sont littéralement des éléments de base de l’existence transnationale de nombreux Philippins et en sont venues à représenter les balikbayans, ou ceux qui reviennent, eux-mêmes. En utilisant les concepts des rites de passage et de la dialectique du don, de la réciprocité et de la reproduction, cet article considère les boîtes balikbayan comme des métaphores du dédoublement expérimenté et ressenti par beaucoup de Philippino-américains de la première génération. Il présente la préparation des boîtes comme une allégorie des liens qu’entretiennent les Philippino-américains avec ceux qui restent aux Philippines. En considérant ces boîtes comme l’un des « lieux » de l’identité des balikbayans, il met l’accent sur le statut liminal qu’ont les membres de cette première génération de Philippino-américains, à la fois dans leur pays d’origine et dans leur pays d’adoption

Session 2A: Mentorship for Recruitment, Retention, and Self-Care

In an 87% white profession, it is no secret that many academic librarians of color feel ostracized by white notions of professionalism, suffering from microaggressions regularly at their institutions. As many librarians of color have noted, the whiteness of librarianship manifests itself from the beginning--in the library and information science (LIS) programs--and continues throughout our careers, becoming more pronounced the higher we go up the hierarchy. As the 2017 Ithaka S+R report Inclusion, Diversity and Equity: Members of the Association of Research Libraries found, “as positions become increasingly senior, they also become increasingly white.” Providing support and guidance to POCs just entering the profession, especially from those who have managed to successfully overcome the challenges inherent to being at the margins in academia, is crucial to overcoming the barriers that the whiteness of our profession poses. While there are formal mentorship programs that exist for minority librarians, there are also many opportunities for librarians of color to help each other navigate the professional space in a local context. At an institution that has an LIS program, part of this action is providing mentorship opportunities for library students of color. Two UCLA librarians at different points in their career together with two graduate student research assistants who they supervise will talk about the impact of the mentoring relationship between them. This presentation will take the form of a conversation between the four participants, with each sharing her views of and experiences in the mentorship space. By providing support for professional growth in conjunction with avenues for creativity and frank conversations, the librarians are attempting to carve out a space for those with marginalized and intersectional identities to thrive at their home institution

Looking Beyond Libraries for Inclusive Recruitment and Retention Practices: Four Successful Approaches

Academic and research libraries have made many efforts to diversify their workforces; however, today the profession remains largely homogeneous. We recognize that diversification cannot be achieved without creating inclusive and more equitable workspaces and workplaces. This requires rethinking our assumptions and behaviors as individuals and as a profession, questioning entrenched structures that maintain the status quo, and developing practices that keep these critical questions in the forefront as we do the difficult work of redefining our infrastructure in order to create equitable and socially just workplaces. To inspire a different type of dialogue, we offer actionable information and tools – strategies, ideas, and concepts from outside our profession. In this chapter, the authors present strategies used by corporations, industries, organizations, or fields outside of academia that have contributed to substantially diversifying their workforces and discuss how they could be integrated into our own workplaces. While these efforts are imperfect, incomplete, or have mixed results, we focus on strategies that demonstrate outside-the-box thinking for our profession, practices that will require academic and research libraries to rethink their operations, the behaviors and structures that support them, and thus the way library management and leadership are practiced. We are hoping that providing strategies outside our profession, as well as guidance on applying these strategies, will create reflection, dialogue, and innovative ideas for our own institutions.No embarg

Box populi : a socio-cultural study of the Filipino American balikbayan box

In this thesis, the balikbayan boxes that Filipino Americans bring with them when they visit the Philippines are viewed primarily through the lenses of material culture and customary studies. It provides the historical, political, and economic contexts which have led to the immigration of Filipinos to America and the emergence of balikbayans—the returning natives—and their boxes. It also contains descriptions of balikbayan boxes, their contents, and the practices involved. This study indicates that balikbayan boxes are indices of balikbayans themselves. These packages are metaphors for the dislocation of Filipinos resulting from their immigration to the United States. These boxes are also sites, in which balikbayans are positioned as neo-colonizers and perpetuate American cultural hegemony. This examination suggests that balikbayan boxes are connected to a host of complex issues, including kinship ties and obligations, politics and economics, colonialism and postcolonialism, ,immigration and diaspora, globalization and commodification, exchange and reciprocity, travel and tourism

Research and Publication Practices of Asian Studies Faculty at UCLA

In early 2017, the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Library joined 11 other institutions in the United States to participate in a qualitative study, led by Ithaka S+R, of the research and publication practices of Asian Studies faculty. This report summarizes the findings from the interviews of 34 ladder faculty in Asian Studies at UCLA and focuses on common and critical themes that emerged from the responses. It culminates with recommendations for the UCLA Library to implement in order to support the needs of these scholars and mitigate some of the challenges they face during the research and publication cycle

Research and Publication Practices of Asian Studies Faculty at UCLA

In early 2017, the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Library joined 11 other institutions in the United States to participate in a qualitative study, led by Ithaka S+R, of the research and publication practices of Asian Studies faculty. This report summarizes the findings from the interviews of 34 ladder faculty in Asian Studies at UCLA and focuses on common and critical themes that emerged from the responses. It culminates with recommendations for the UCLA Library to implement in order to support the needs of these scholars and mitigate some of the challenges they face during the research and publication cycle