Hongyan Yang

Hongyan Yang is a Visiting Assistant Professor in History and Core Fellow at Boston College, specializing in interdisciplinary studies of Asian American experiences through spatial, material, and cultural lenses. Her work bridges urban planning, architectural history, and cultural geography, focusing on ethnic foodways, immigration history, and the role of Asian immigrants in shaping U.S. cultural landscapes.

• Ph.D. in Architecture (Buildings-Landscapes-Cultures Program) from University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee

Her research explores how Asian immigrants' culinary traditions and identities reshape American cultural spaces. Current projects include a book manuscript on Chinese placemaking, a museum collaboration on architectural contributions of Chinese-American designers, and an NEH-funded oral history project on immigrant communities. She emphasizes community-centered teaching in Asian/Asian American architecture and historic preservation.

Recipient of awards such as the Sophie Coe Prize Honorable Mention and Vernacular Architecture Forum Ambassadors Award, her work highlights resistance and agency in marginalized communities through built environments.

Teaching and grants: Developed courses on Asian American architecture and preservation practices. Funded projects include collaborations with the Society of Architectural Historians and Copper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum.