On October 4 and 5, Assistant Clinical Professor Yuki Yamazaki, Ph.D., and third-year Counseling Psychology Ph.D. student Zainab Raza made significant contributions at the 2024 Asian American Psychological Association (AAPA) Convention in Atlanta, Georgia. The theme for this year’s AAPA conference, “Homecoming,” encouraged introspection into the personal journeys and profound influence of Asian origins in the present day.
Yamazaki, alongside fellow Executive Committee members of the Division on Multiracial and Adopted Asian Americans (DMAA), facilitated a session titled “Cultural Capital or Cultural Appropriation? Can Asian Americans Appropriate Asian Culture?: A Courageous Conversation.” The discussion explored the role of cultural capital within Asian, Asian American, multiracial, and transracial adoptee communities, through critical, liberatory, and decolonizing lenses. The session also examined notions of cultural appropriation and commodification.
Yamazaki explained, “The session aimed to create a space for participants to critically engage with their own cultural identities and reflect on both the empowerment and challenges related to cultural capital.” The “Courageous Conversations” series at AAPA provided a platform to address frequently overlooked topics in a respectful environment that encouraged diverse perspectives.
Additionally, Zainab Raza received the AAPA Graduate Student Leadership Institute (GLI) Fellowship, a two-day intensive training designed to cultivate leadership among graduate students within the Asian American Psychological Association. As part of this fellowship, Raza will receive mentorship from AAPA Graduate Student Leadership Mentors.
Raza’s research focuses on supporting adolescents and young adults of color, particularly within the Muslim community. Her work also examines the impact of student activism on mental health.
Yamazaki and Raza’s participation at this year’s AAPA convention highlights Fordham’s ongoing engagement with cultural identity and leadership discussions within the Asian American psychological community, and exemplifies the University’s impactful contributions to the field.
This article was written by Leah McKirgan.
