Spring 2026 

Welcome to the inaugural issue of The ACRE Newsletter.

Through this newsletter, the Centre of Asian Canadian Research and Engagement foregrounds the latest opportunities, projects, events, and more for its readers.

We strive to connect UBC students and staff, community members, and partner organizations through our shared value of diversity and commitments to equitable scholarship and ongoing growth.

ACRE is happy to share that we have relocated and are now a part of the Faculty of Arts Research Commons at the new Gateway Health Building.

We’re excited for the acre of possibilities that this new chapter will bring!

💡 Opportunities

🏆 Project Spotlight

Community Archival Collections and Heritage Exhibitions (CACHE)

CACHE is a GCRC Research Cluster led by ACRE co-director Dr. Henry Yu and Dr. Jennifer Douglas from UBC iSchool. CACHE encourages collaboration between Community Archival Collections and partner organizations in the Lower Mainland, and advocates for ethical and responsible relationships between them. Together, CACHE and its collaborators are dedicated to making archival practices readily available in order to preserve the records of historically, systemically, and persistently marginalized communities.

Get a glimpse of what ACRE staff, community members, and student research assistants Lily Liu and Cheuk Kit (Philip) Chung are helping to build through the CACHE project below or by visiting our website.

Stay tuned for more ways to get involved with ACRE and participate in future research and mentorship opportunities.

📅 Events

Heated Rivalry: Immigration, Safety, and Queer Belonging in Canada

On March 6, ACRE co-director Dr. JP Catungal will join two other panelists, Dr. Ali Bhagat and Aleks Dughman Manzur in a discussion moderated by Dr. Lisa Brunner about the hit show, Heated Rivalry. The panelists will draw from the show, critical scholarship, and lived experiences to explore the notions of safety, belonging, and nationhood for refugees, immigrants, and newcomers in Canada. Register for the online event here.

The (Mis)Recognitions of the Asian Face and an Alternative Critical History of Biometrics

On March 26, from 5pm to 6:30pm at the SFU David Lam Centre, join Dr. Wendy Sung in conversation with Dr. Danielle Wong to discuss "Asian Faciality" and the history of biometrics. Dr. Wendy Sung (Assistant Professor, Department of World Arts and Cultures/Dance at UCLA) will give a talk on the (mis)recognitions of the Asian face, theorizing an alternative history of biometrics. Dr. Sung will be in conversation with Dr. Danielle Wong (Department of English Language and Literatures, UBC) after the presentation. Get your tickets here.

Event Retrospectives

Wondering about which ACRE events have already taken place? Stay tuned for our event retrospectives that document past panels, gatherings, and community initiatives, including those from ACRE’s Browning Asian Canada Series.

Shades of Brown: Defying Racial Categories

This event, featuring critical work and discussion from academics and community members on brown histories, politics and identity-making, marked the launch of ACRE’s Browning Asian Canada Series. Visitors at the Museum of Vancouver gathered for an evening of discussion that explored the complexities of brownness as identity and as perspective through ideas and concepts examined in Dr. Chris Patterson’s upcoming book, Domesticating Brown: Movements of Racial Imagination.

Read Student RA Alexandra Liaw’s recap and reflection here.

🔧 Resources

🍽️ Recipe