Between Dreams: Resistance and representation in Asian Aotearoa

Book Author Grace Gassin
Rights Available World excl. NZ

This landmark collection presents fresh, progressive perspectives on what it means to be ‘Asian’ in Aotearoa.

Te Papa curator Grace Gassin draws together journalists, researchers, activists, filmmakers and political commentators to relate experiences of living between cultures and to explore the legacies of New Zealand’s diverse Asian diaspora histories.

Featuring a broad range of taonga from the museum’s collections, this timely book brings these social histories into focus, revealing shared themes of resistance and representation that offer ways to reckon with the past and imagine new futures.

Contributions by: Umi Asaka, Mohan Dutta, Christopher Fung, Rebekah Jaung, Tze Ming Mok, Keith Ng, Sun-Min Elle Park, Sapna Samant, Balamohan Shingade, Isaac Te Awa (Ngāpuhi, Kāti Māmoe, Kāi Tahu, Waitaha) and Sidney Wong.

About the Author
Dr Grace Gassin (林素真) is Curator Asian New Zealand Histories at Te Papa.

Raised in her mother’s Malaysian Chinese family, Grace proudly identifies as a second-generation Chinese (Hokkien) New Zealander of mixed heritage. Grace’s overarching focus is on highlighting the diverse historical and contemporary experiences of New Zealand’s many Asian diaspora communities. Her wide-ranging interests also encompass the politics of inclusion and interpretation that frame our
understandings of Asian diaspora histories, and transnational dimensions of Asian Australasian diaspora experiences. She is also a committed delegate for E tū union.