The animated 1998 film Mulan remains one of Disney's all time greatest hits. Fans greeted Disney’s announcement of a live-action reboot starring an all Asian cast with great excitement. But COVID-19 forced the film from the big screen to Disney streaming, and the film’s recent debut sparked controversy both here and in China.

At a time when Asian Americans are being attacked publicly — and being erroneously blamed for the coronavirus — 2020 has been fertile ground for significant growth in Asian themed feature films and TV programs, with independent films helmed by Asian directors and Asian actors in lead roles. What is the power of this expansion of representation? And does it especially matter in this moment?

Guests:

Elena Creef, professor of Women’s and Gender Studies at Wellesley College. She specializes in Asian American visual history in photography, film and popular culture.

Jenny Korn, fellow and the founding coordinator of the Race and Media Working Group at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University.

Later in the show:

The Pew Research Center documented the sharp increase in out-of-work Americans from 6.2 million unemployed in February to 20.5 million in May. For those looking to find new work, what's the best way to navigate a job search during a pandemic? Meanwhile, the class of 2020 has produced two million new college grads with bachelor’s degrees entering one of the worst job markets in decades. And for those currently employed — and working remotely from home — how can we succeed in this out of office workspace with new Zoom office etiquette?

Guests:

Karen Cardozo is an assistant vice president of Northeastern University’s Employer Engagement and Career Design.

Brie Reynolds is a career development manager and career coach at FlexJobs, a site for telecommuting and flexible job listings. 

Show Credits:

We’re on the web at wgbh.org/news/undertheradarwithcalliecrossley and available for download wherever you get your podcasts.

Under the Radar with Callie Crossley is a production of WGBH, produced by Hannah Uebele and engineered by Dave Goodman. Rebecca Tauber is our intern.