In this Curator’s Talk, Dr Grace Gassin (Lîm Sò͘-chin 林素真) breaks down the myth that there exists such a thing as ‘the Chinese community’. Drawing on her work on Chinese Languages in Aotearoa – Te Papa’s first project in the Voices of Asian Aotearoa language series – Grace highlights the diverse linguistic and cultural heritages with which people of Chinese ancestry in Aotearoa identify and discusses the complex developments which are increasingly bringing grassroots conversations around Chinese New Zealand identities, cultures and languages to the forefront. She also shares stories and behind-the-scenes insights from the project.
Dr Grace Gassin (Lîm Sò͘-chin 林素真) is Curator Asian New Zealand Histories at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. Since completing her doctoral studies in History at the University of Melbourne in 2016, Grace’s wide-ranging research interests have grown to encompass both the historical and contemporary experiences of Asian diaspora communities in Aotearoa New Zealand and Australia. At the museum, Grace has been involved in a diverse range of research and collection projects in recent years, including Te Papa’s Chinese Languages in Aotearoa project.
Ticket includes: Talk, parking and refreshments.
Feature image: Shijia Chen interviews Ya-Wen Ho at Wai-ti-ata Press, Wellington, 2021. Photo by Grace Gassin. Te Papa (176011)