Asia Art Activism in partnership with 7 other Asian diaspora networks across Europe, including Voices of Domestic Workers (UK), Healing Justice Ldn (UK), Jambatan (DK), Unthaitled (DE), House of Saint Laurent Europe (DE), DAMN*/Deutsche Asiat*innen, Make Noise! (DE) and The Six Tones (VN/SE) are seeking submissions for Tools to Transform.
Tools to Transform aims to be a free-to-access online workbook publication for Asian diasporic artists, educators and activists residing in Europe. It will provide on-the-ground tools & strategies for building solidarity between inter-Asian diasporic communities, & between South/Southeast/East Asians and wider communities of colour to challenge overt & structural forms of racism exacerbated by the global pandemic.
We are inviting artistic, political and community organisers to share strategies, principles and tools for Asian diasporic organising in a European context that address i) Decolonising ‘Asia’ ii) Organising in Asian diasporas and iii) Sustaining community in Asian diasporas. Contributions may address but are not limited to:
Decolonizing ‘Asia’
- Strategies of storytelling reflecting polyvocal South/Southeast/East Asian experiences
- Visioning and re-articulating ‘Asia’, ‘authentic claims’, ‘cultural appropriations’, ‘changing hybridity’, ‘fluidity, flexibility and mutability,’ and beyond ‘Asianess’
- Deconstructing the ‘Model Minority’ myth
Organising in Asian diasporas
- Intersectional and intercultural organising that goes beyond single issue/ethnicity campaigning, advertising and cultural programming
- Operating in white dominated spaces, and combating the performance of oppression, exoticisation and ethnicity to white decision makers.
- Building strategic alliances with other underpowered communities
- Confronting the question of anti-blackness in Asian communities
- Imagining an Asian diasporic movement across Europe (including non-Western parts of Europe); learnings and differences from an Asian American Movement.
Sustaining community in Asian diasporas
- Building safe, empowering and accountable spaces; the role of common languages, bridges or commonality
- Addressing and transforming conflict within Inter-Asian, Intergenerational and Inter-communities of colour.
- Creating thriving communities through food, music, creativity, sociability, healing and spirituality.
Who is this for: Organisers working in artistic, civic, political or community contexts who are residing/working in relation to Europe. In this particular call out, we are looking to engage with people who identify with South Asian, South-East Asian and East-Asian lived experiences.
What we are looking for: Workshop plans, methodologies & principles, reflections, case studies, advocacy documents, political cartoons, infographics, affirmations and other resources that will support Asian diasporic organisers to educate, organise, build alliances, transform conflict and support healing and wellbeing. Other formats are possible but please submit an enquiry before submitting your application.
Fee: Each selected contributor will receive 300 EUROS
Application process:
Please email a proposal for the submission you would like to contribute to the Workbook.
All proposals are to be sent in a single word document, and include i) Name(s) & email address, ii) Title of contribution iii) Proposal description & format (max 400 words), iv) Biography (max 300 words) v) Tell us where you heard of this opportunity.
Please submit proposals, and any questions to asia.art.activism@gmail.com with the subject header: TOOLS TO TRANSFORM proposal by a deadline of 16 Sept 2020. Selected contributors will be informed by Week of 28 Sept and have time to write/create their submission by a deadline of 6 Nov.
Tools to Transform is a project initiated by Joon Lynn Goh & Annie Jael Kwan from Asia Art Activism, with the support of the European Culture Foundation, in partnership with Sarnt Utamachote & Rosalia Namsai Engchuan from un.thai.tled, Farzana Khan from Healing Justice Ldn, Thao Ho from DAMN* Deutsche Asiat*innen, Make Noise!, Dr Joyce Jiang from The Voice of Domestic workers, Litchi Ly Friedrich from House of Saint Laurent Europe, and Nguyễn Thanh Thủy & Stefan Östersjö from The Six Tones https://www.thesixtones.net/
Annie Jael Kwan 