Defining Global Asian Folklore Studies

This article seeks to create Global Asian Folklore Studies (GAFS) by integrating the study of global Asias and Critical Folklore Studies. Similar to Critical Latinx Folklore Studies, GAFS embraces interdisciplinary and intersectional approaches, and the goal is to look at the racialized and gendered experiences of Asian, Asian American, and Pacific Islander (AAAPI) individuals and communities as well as the problems of discrimination, inequality, and oppression faced by them in their everyday lives. GAFS is defined not only to advance the dialogues and discussions about how best to enhance the lives, repre-sentations, and visibilities of AAAPI communities in the US, but also to build broader coalitions to respond to the crisis of the Transnational Asia/Pacific Section (TAPS) of the American Folklore Society (AFS). It serves as an act of “carework” for TAPS, AFS, and our global society, and will create space for dialogues among AAAPI folklorists, folklorists who study AAAPI folklore, and their allies that is aimed at healing, coalition building, and creating paths forward.