Exploring Radical Healing among Asian/American College Women Survivors of Sexual and Relationship Violence

Abstract

Healing approaches for survivors of sexual and relationship violence (SRV) on college campuses often focus on individual symptom reduction and are often limited by traditional punitive responses to SRV. Such dominant approaches to supporting survivors overlook the cultural and communal needs of Asian/American (A/A) college women, who are often underrepresented in SRV research. Rooted in A/A women’s epistemologies, this study explores how A/A college women survivors engage in healing through culturally situated practices. Research collaborators engaged in Yum Chas and Rice Roundtables, two de/colonial and collectivist methods that drew upon a lineage of A/A ways of healing. Findings reveal how A/A women cultivate healing by re/embodying (a) food for the whole body, (b) solidarities with other A/A women, and (c) ancestral and intergenerational wisdom. This research underscores the need for higher education institutions to move beyond Western-centric, individualistic, and punitive models to support culturally resonant, systemic healing for A/A women survivors.