Through research and writing about theater, Dr. Esther Kim Lee uncovers largely untold stories of Asian American history.
“In theater, we have to talk about representation, how we see each other, about perceptions, how stereotypes exist as well as this long history of anti-Asian violence,” said Lee, who is professor of theater studies, international comparative studies and history as well as director of the Asian American and Diaspora Studies Program at Duke University.
“My class dealing with history, it’s much more real,” she continued. “Theater is a communal experience. It also has a very therapeutic element to it. Theater in many ways can be a healing place too. I hope the students who study with me don’t just stop at learning about the violence, but what we can do to support each other. What can the arts do to heal and help us see a better future?”
As an undergraduate at the University of California (UC), Santa Barbara, Lee was a computer science major. She needed one more general education course to graduate, and wound up taking dramatic structure, a complex course with Dr. Bert O. States, a well-known theater theorist. It changed her life, and she told States that she wanted to continue studying with him, which she did, earning a master’s degree in dramatic arts from UC Santa Barbara and then a Ph.D. in theater history from The Ohio State University.
“General education courses are very valuable,” said Lee. “They expose students to different fields.”
Lee said that she has been blessed with amazing mentors. In addition to States, she mentions her doctoral advisor, Dr. Thomas Postlewait, a renowned theater historian. He made extensive comments on her writing, and she credits him with teaching her how to be a good writer and thinker as well as a theater historian.
“I do my best to write very clearly; I try to avoid jargon if I can,” she said. “I try to explain in the most clear way.”
