Dr. Niral Shah joins the TODOS Podcast to explore the complexities of Asian American identity in mathematics education. Reflecting on his experiences as a South Asian student and teacher, Shah unpacks how racialized narratives like the model minority myth both hypervisibilize and dehumanize Asian learners. He introduces the metaphor of a “bubble level” to describe how racial discourse positions Asian and Black students at opposite ends of a spectrum, with whiteness centered as the norm.
The conversation delves into Shah’s research on race and STEM, including his Harvard Educational Review article “Asians Are Good at Math” Is Not a Compliment, and is informed by thinkers such as Vijay Prashad, W.E.B. Du Bois, and Zeus Leonardo. Shah also shares a parenting story about his son calling out white supremacy on the playground, offering a vision of anti-racism grounded in nuance and empathy.
This episode addresses classroom practice, intra-Asian diversity, anti-Blackness, and the importance of moving beyond binaries to humanize all students.
Episode transcript is here. Reflection transcript is here.
