BIO
Born in Seoul in 1986 to a mother in nursing and a father in business, Dr. Jaymin Kim recalls spending part of his childhood with his grandparents on Jeju Island. He first immigrated to Waco, TX for high school in 2001 and then moved to Houston for his undergraduate studies at Rice University. After graduating from Rice in 2008, he also completed a MA and PhD at the University of Michigan in 2018. He now serves as an assistant professor at Rice’s Department of Transnational Asian Studies, and has been published across various prestigious Asian Studies journals and books.
This interview largely covers Dr. Kim’s immigration experience and early engagement with various Asian American communities. Dr. Kim compares and contrasts his various educational experiences, before recounting his trajectory towards entering a career in academia. Additionally, Dr. Kim discusses issues of identity and assesses the current state of Asian studies in the United States. Finally, Kim describes his hopes for the future of Asian studies and Asian Americans.