Funie Hsu

Funie Hsu is an Assistant Professor of American Studies in the Humanities Department at San José State University, coordinating the Humanities-Liberal Arts and Asian Studies concentrations. She holds a Ph.D. in Education from UC Berkeley (with a Designated Emphasis in Women, Gender, and Sexuality), an Ed.M. in Education Policy from Harvard, and a B.A. in Asian American Studies from UC Davis.

Her research focuses on US empire and knowledge construction, examining how English language policies and educational systems functioned as tools of colonialism in the Philippines, Puerto Rico, and Taiwan. Her first book project argues that English instruction erased the violence of US occupation, analyzing intersections of race, species difference, and colonial governance. A second project critiques the marginalization of Asian American Buddhists in American Buddhism and secular mindfulness movements, linking this to neoliberal educational practices.

Her work has been supported by prestigious fellowships including the UC President’s Postdoctoral Fellowship and the Eugene Cota-Robles Diversity Fellowship. Her publications span journals like American Quarterly and Education Studies, as well as public platforms like Buddhadharma and HuffPost.

Dr. Hsu’s academic service includes roles as faculty fellow at SJSU’s MOSAIC Cross Cultural Center and contributions to public scholarship on Buddhism and race. Her interdisciplinary approach integrates American studies, Asian American studies, history, and animal studies to challenge colonial and imperial frameworks in education and religion.