Learning in the Light: Multicultural Communication and Asian American Women

Learning in the Light is a collection of stories and perspectives whose authors are Asian-American women - all from Hawaii - with varied backgrounds, who are educators in the most generic sense of the word. Their settings and channels of communication are varied - universities, religious parliaments, metropolitan centers, global contexts, and remote islands. They exemplify women who have East-West perspectives in communication and continue to innovate in their roles and shape new cultures from within. They reach out beyond their familiar parameters to form partnerships in learning, letting their light to shine . What had begun as a volume destined for academia evolved into a book with a larger mission as the authors began to share their feelings as well as their thoughts about their work and their lives with authenticity, humor, and grace. Most of these women came from cultures which were prescriptive and role-oriented. A commonality they share is higher education, with its context going far beyond universities and into temples, global institutions, and cyberspace. They also share an appreciation of the cultures that shaped them as well as their willingness to go beyond the status quo, by crossing worldviews, transforming their consciousness, and communicating from the heart. Wherever they are, these women continue to create vibrant cultures by loving and learning in the light.