Educational and Academic Background

Doctor of Philosophy (2004)
Graduate Program in Sociology, University at Albany, SUNY

Bachelors of Arts (1993)
Political Science and Sociology, University of California, Irvine

Academic Research Interests:

• Race and Ethnicity
• Immigration: Assimilation & Cultural Adaptation, Socioeconomic Mobility, and Public Policy
• Comparative Asian American Communities and Ethnic Enclave Dynamics

Currently, the bulk of my research involves using Census data to analyze and compare socioeconomic and demographic outcomes of assimilation among Asian Americans. These outcomes include (1) self-employment and entrepreneurship; (2) marital assimilation and intermarriage/interracial marriage; (3) education, occupation, and income; and (4) residential segregation and quality of neighborhoods. I also have secondary research interests in cross-national comparisons of socioeconomic assimilation among Vietnamese diasporic communities in the U.S., Canada, France, and Australia, along with analyzing the sociological contexts of anti-communist political activities of Vietnamese Americans.

Current Professional Positions

Lecturer/Visiting Assistant Professor (September 2003 to May 2009)
Senior Lecturer Professor (May 2009 to Present)
Department of Sociology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst

Director, Asian & Asian American Studies Certificate Program (January 2004 to Present)
University of Massachusetts, Amherst

Employment History

Research Associate (January 2000 to July 2002)
Center for Technology in Government, Albany, NY

• Worked within a small team of primary investigators to conduct NSF-funded research (including ethnographic field observation, structured interviews, focus groups, facilitated meetings, and administering survey questionnaires) on how New York State government agencies use information technology to work collaboratively and to improve their public services.

Director of Education (November 1998 to January 2000)
Asian & Pacific Islander Coalition on HIV/AIDS, Inc., New York, NY

• Developed and oversaw multi-level community education and outreach planning, implementation, and evaluation, including peer education programs; hired, supervised, and evaluated staff of coordinators for six separate but interrelated targeted programs.

Administrative Coordinator (September 1998 to November 1998)
National Asian Pacific American Bar Association, New York, NY

Publications & Online Articles

Le, C.N. Forthcoming. "Post–Vietnam War Tensions in the Vietnamese American Community" in Encyclopedia of Asian American Issues Today, edited by Edith Chen and Grace Yoo. Santa Barbara: Greenwood Publishing.

Le, C.N. 2010. "Multiracial Asian Americans: Social Class, Demographic, and Cultural Characteristics” in Multiracial Americans and Social Class, edited by Kathleen Korgen. New York: Routledge.

Le, C.N. 2009. "'Better Dead Than Red': Anti-Communist Politics Among Vietnamese Americans" in Anti-Communist Minorities in the US: The Political Activism of Ethnic Refugees, edited by Ieva Zake. New York: Palgrave-MacMillan.

Le, C.N. 2007. Asian American Assimilation: Ethnicity, Immigration, and Socioeconomic Attainment. New York, NY: LFB Scholarly Publishing.

Le, C.N. Forthcoming. Short articles on "Adoption of Asian Children," "Amerasians and Multiracial Asian Americans," "Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965," "Interracial Marriages, "Second-Generation Identity," "Youth Gangs," and "Asian Americans and Work" in Asian American History and Culture: An Encyclopedia, edited by Huping Ling and Dr. Allan W. Austin. Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe.

Le, C.N. 2004. "Fleeing Dragon: The Refugee Experience From a Vietnamese Immigrant Family" in Minority Voices: Linking Personal Ethnic History with the Sociological Imagination, edited by John Myers. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

Le, C.N. 2004. "Asian Pacific Americans, Polls and the 2004 Election" IMDiversity.com Asian American Village, September 28, 2004.

Le, C.N. 2003. "By the Numbers: Dating, Marriage, and Race in Asian America." IMDiversity.com Asian American Village, February 14, 2003.

Recent Media Quotations

Quoted by The Hill, "Cutting Her Own Path" article, written by Kris Kitto, September 10, 2009.

Quoted by Marie Claire magazine, "The New Trophy Wives: Asian Women" article, written by Ying Chu, August 2009.

Quoted by The Associated Press, "Concern Over Focus on VT Shooter's Race" article, written by Dionne Walker, April 19, 2007.

Quoted by The Associated Press, "Interracial Marriages Surge Across U.S." article, written by David Crary, April 13, 2007.

Quoted in Footnotes: Monthly Newsletter of the American Sociological Association, "Portrait of the Sociologist as Blogger" article, written by LaVon Rice, February 2007.

Guest speaker on radio program on "Asian & Arab Culture," hosted by Paul Allen Billings of WUVS-LP 103.7 The Beat, December 11, 2006.

Quoted in The Christian Science Monitor, "Smugglers Exploit Hole in Port Security" article, written by Brad Knickerbocker, April 11, 2006.

Quoted in The Atlanta Constitution, "Vietnam Heartache: Saigon's Fall Haunts Refugees Every Spring" article, written by Sheila Poole, April 27, 2005.

Quoted by the Associated Press, "Vietnamese in U.S. Take Stock of Community" article, written by Erin Texeira, April 24, 2005.

Quoted in Diversity Inc. Magazine, "To Be Asian in America: Success and Stereotypes" article, written by Angela Johnson Meadows, April 2005.

Quoted in The Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin, "Straddling Two Cultures: Vietnamese American Finds Looking Back Helps Him Look Forward" newspaper article, written by My-Ly Nguyen, April 5, 2005.

Quoted in The Boston Globe, "One Enclave, Two Camps, Two Very Distinct Views" newspaper article, written by Wendy Lee, August 29, 2004.

Quoted in The Hartford Courant, "When Family is the Tradition" newspaper article, written by Mike Swift, published April 28, 2002.

Selected Academic Presentations & Invited Talks

Invited Speaker, "Obstacles and Opportunities in Connecting Asian and Asian Americans in the 21st Century," Boston Asian American Students Intercollegiate Conference, Northeastern University, MA, October 10, 2009.

Invited Speaker, "Meeting the Challenge of Globalization: Connecting Asia and Asian Americans in the 21st Century," Asian & Pacific Islander Employment Program, U.S. Department of Agriculture, May 30, 2009.

Invited Speaker, "History, Segregation, and Inclusion: The Meaning and Consequences of Ethnic Solidarity," Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, May 7, 2009.

Panelist, "Race and its Effects on Asian Pacific American Student Identity," panel discussion at the Annual Asian/Pacific/American Heritage Month Symposium, April 22, 2009, at Mount Holyoke College, Massachusetts.

Invited Speaker, "Interracial Asian Adoption: Issues and Identity in 21st Century American Society," April 6, 2009 at Bates College, Maine.

Le, C.N. "Teaching the Sociology of Asian Americans," panel discussion at the annual meeting of the American Sociological Association, August 2, 2008, in Boston, MA.

Le, C.N. "Virtually Asian: The Social Construction of Identity Through Internet Media," presented at the annual meeting of the Association for Asian American Studies, April 20, 2008 in Chicago, IL.

Le, C.N. "'Better Dead Than Red': Anti-Communist Politics Among Vietnamese Americans," presented at the "The Cold War Warriors: Political Activism of Ethnic Groups during the Cold War in the U.S." symposium, April 1, 2008, at Rowan University.

Le, C.N. "Socioeconomic Attainment, Neighborhood Quality, and Residential Segregation in Ten Asian American Ethnic Enclaves," presented at the annual meeting of the Eastern Sociological Society, February 24, 2008 in New York, NY.

Invited Speaker, "Muslim American Assimilation: Cultural and Socioeconomic Patterns," U.S./Spain Exchange Project on Muslim Youth Integration, Institute for Training and Development, Amherst, MA, June 12, 2007.

Invited Speaker, "Asian American Identity and Experiences: Past, Present, and Future," Connecticut College, April 20, 2007.

Le, C.N. "'Moving on Up': A Comparison of Asian American Enclave Characteristics," presented at the annual meeting of the Association for Asian American Studies, April 7, 2007 in New York, NY.

Panelist, "Blogging and Asian Pacific American Political Awareness," 13th Annual National Asian Pacific American Conference on Law and Public Policy, Harvard Law School, Cambridge, MA, March 3, 2007.

Panelist, "Ninth Annual North Adams Neighborhood Expo: Asian Americans," Northern Berkshire Community Coalition, North Adams, MA, December 2, 2006.

Invited Speaker, "Asian Americans in Professional Occupations," Asian American Employees Resource Group, Raytheon Corporation, Waltham, MA, May 25, 2005.

Most Important Jobs

Father (May 1999 to present)
Responding to some of her favorite things to say, such as:

• "No!"
• "Why?"
• "Oh, I see."
• "Daddy, I need 80 dollars to go shopping." [She was only 2½ at the time]

Husband (January 1999 to present)

• "Yes, dear."
• "You're absolutely right dear, that was completely my fault."
• "I love you with all my heart and I can't live without you, honey." [Actually true]

OAQs: Occassionally Asked Questions

What exactly does 'C.N.' stand for?
Basically, the C.N. is just the first and middle initials of my full name, Cuong Nguyen Le. However, it's been my experience over the years that unless people speak Vietnamese, chances are they will mispronounce my name. To make a long story short, I've gone by a few different variations of my real name and eventually compromised between ease of pronunciation on the one hand and a true reflection of my Vietnamese identity on the other by going by my first and middle initials.

Judging by the yin yang background you use, are you into Buddhism?
I agree with and try to follow many Buddhist philosophies as they relate to life, such as craving and aversion leads to misery, and that we should strive to live as simple a life whenever possible. In fact, because Buddhism is more of a way of living rather than a set of religious doctrines and rituals, as many religious scholars and observers note, it is compatible with many different religions. As it shares many things in common with other religions, Buddhism can be used to unite different religions into one general set of practices toward living a righteous life.