And Here’s What We Made: Unpacking Performances and Perceptions of Multiracial Families on Social Media
The Mellon Foundation, ONGOING
I am currently conducting a two-year research project examining the performances of multiracial family influencers on TikTok. To date, I have completed a literature review on multiraciality, social media, and parenthood, and I have collected and analyzed data from over 200 videos using excel and NVivo. To address the ephemerality of social media research, I downloaded each video and integrated it into my NVivo project for preservation and analysis.
I have presented my preliminary findings at the 2023 Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship (MMUF) Fall Conference at Washington University, the UCLA MMUF Research Symposium, and the MMUF Fall Conference at Northwestern University. My research is expected to conclude in May 2025—stay tuned for updates!
Work and Ikigai Project
Grinnell College, Fall 2024
For my final project in SOC-365: Work in the “New” Economy, I conducted interviews with four women in my family to explore how ikigai—the Japanese concept of one’s reason for being—relates to work and perceptions of labor. I presented this research through a WordPress site designed in the style of a book. The landing page welcomes visitors with a gallery showcasing the Kumano-Maloney women.
The first section, “Literature: Ikigai,” introduces the concept of ikigai and reviews existing research, followed by an analysis of Japanese and American perspectives on work. Each page includes a navigation button guiding readers to the next section.
Subsequent sections are dedicated to each generation I interviewed, starting with my grandmother and concluding with myself and my sisters. Each interview is narrated using an ArcGIS story map and followed by a written analysis.
Feel free to explore the site to learn about ikigai, the intersections of work and identity, and my family’s history!
Project link: https://workandikigai.emmasagekm.sites.grinnell.edu/project/
In the Eye of the Beholder: Asian American Women’s Navigation of Dual Beauty Standards
Grinnell College, Fall 2023
This project was completed for my SOC-295 class, The Sociology of Asian America. For our final project, we conducted interviews with 24 participants to explore how Asian American women navigate and balance beauty standards. Given the differing beauty ideals in Asian countries and the United States, along with the history of Asian Americans visiting their countries of origin and preserving cultural practices, we sought to understand how beauty is experienced across borders and its impact on identity.
Our findings revealed that skin complexion often stood out as a significant point of contrast between the beauty standards tied to dual identities. For instance, some women expressed a desire to “stay pale” when visiting their countries of origin.
In addition to our research paper, we designed a magazine using Figma that highlights the history of our research and includes creative elements. Check out the magazine below!