Faith and Resilience of Asian/American Small Business Owners
- Rupa Pillai
- School of Arts & Sciences
-
2021 AAAPI Artists Support Grant
Responsive Opportunity Grant
Faculty member Rupa Pillai, working with students in her Asian American Religions class, will study altars at grocery stores, restaurants, and other Asian/American retailers, exploring the impact of the pandemic on Asian/American business owners. From nail salons to grocery stores and restaurants, a large proportion of the Asian/American community is small business owners. Frequently these owners install and care for altars in their businesses. These altars, which honor the owners’ ancestors as well as their faith, do more than promote good luck and prosperity. They are also visual representations of Asian/American culture, marking how the community is claiming space and asserting their belonging to the United States. During the pandemic, altars may take on new meaning for Asian/American business owners. How might altar care intensify in response to difficulties in operating a business during COVID-19? How might having an altar promote anti-Asian violence against the business and/or its owners? And how might an altar grow considering what a business owner witnessed and survived during a pandemic? In addition to investigating these questions, this project will use the altar to learn more about Asian/American culture and the experiences of small business owners.