The Southeast Asian Archive at UC Irvine collects, preserves, and makes accessible primary and secondary source materials documenting the history of the Cambodian, Hmong, Laotian, and Vietnamese diaspora. Collection strengths include Southeast Asian American experiences of resettlement and community formations since the Vietnam War, Cambodian Genocide, and geopolitical turmoil in the former French-occupied "Indochina" in the latter half of the 20th century.
Our goal is to surface the historical records and cultural heritage of the Southeast Asian diaspora for research, even materials not held by the UCI Libraries. We are actively engaged in and seeking ongoing non-custodial, equitable partnerships to ensure sustained preservation and access to these histories, especially related to social justice and communities under-documented in the historical record.
To view FINDING AIDS to archival collections in the SEAA, please visit the Online Archive of California. OAC contains finding aids which provide more information on collections including history, biographical background of donors, the scope, content and arrangement of materials.
To request ARCHIVAL MATERIALS FOR RESEARCH please refer to the How to Request Materials Guide.
To search for book, film, thesis and dissertation titles in the SEAA collection, use UC Library Search
Discover over 2 million images, texts, and recordings via Calisphere, a repository of digital collections from libraries, archives, and museums across California.
To research specific holdings at UC Irvine, narrow down your search first by "Contributing Institutions" and select "UC IRVINE." This will then take you the UC Irvine page on Calisphere (see screenshot below).
Then click "Search UC Irvine." This will expand and advance your search where you can go beyond keywords such as determining the type of record (moving image, audio, text etc.), decade, the specific archive/department and collection if known.
The Asian American and Pacific Islander Collection from the American Archive of Public Broadcasting features more than 700 public radio and television programs from 1965 to 2021 that highlight Asian American and Pacific Islander cultures in the United States. The programs cover a wide range of subjects, including immigration, Japanese internment, hate crimes against members of the Asian American community, and affirmative action. The collection additionally spotlights conversations around the representation of Asian Americans in the media and the kinds of discrimination they have faced as a result.
Visit the Densho Digital Repository to learn about the Japanese American incarceration experience from those who lived it, and find thousands of historic photographs, documents, newspapers, letters and other primary source materials from immigration to the WWII incarceration and its aftermath.
Discover your family and community history with the world's leading Chinese genealogy website: My China Roots.
UC Irvine Libraries’ one-year subscription to My China Roots is now available to the entire UC Irvine community. Users connecting on campus via a campus device or via UC Irvine WiFi will be automatically logged into the site. To access the database from off campus, users with a current account will be required to connect via the UC Irvine virtual private network (VPN) and be prompted to login via their UCInetID.
The South Asian American Digital Archive (SAADA) offers over 6,000 unique records available for research online. SAADA seeks to create a more inclusive society by giving voice to South Asian Americans through documenting, preserving, and sharing stories that represent their unique and diverse experiences.