Wander into an office with two large, five-story shelves neatly stuffed with books, colorful wall graphics, and a cozy sofa, and you’ll find Melissa Phruksachart (Prook-sa-shart), an assistant professor in the Department of Film, Television, and Media. A scholar of Asian/American/minority media, U.S. film and television, and critical race and ethnic studies, Phruksachart is preparing her first book as part of her Institute for the Humanities fellowship.

Growing up in New Jersey during the era of network television, Phruksachart described herself as raised by TV. As an undergrad, she majored in English at Swarthmore College, and there she was exposed to a breadth of knowledge in the liberal arts field, including Shakespeare, queer theory, modernism, Walter Benjamin, and poetry. She was particularly inspired by Edward Said’s term “orientalism,” which helped her name the exotic portrayal of Asians by the dominant Western culture and the sense of othering that came with it. 

“I realized there were different ways to describe the world than what I had learned from home, high school, and TV,” she said.

Then, a sprinkle of unexpected chance pulled her into academia – she applied and got into grad school because her roommate was applying, and then finished her PHD in English. With a laugh, she doesn’t “really recommend that people do that.”

Phruksachart’s upcoming book, Archives of Embarrassment: Playing Asian on Cold War U.S. Television, looks into Asian American background players in Hollywood, fulfilling supporting roles, background parts, walk-ons, and other sundry acting jobs. These actors never became famous, but had decades-long careers in the entertainment industry. She picked the word “embarrassment” for the title because these actors are always treated as embarrassing representations of Asian people and culture – ones that many people refuse to identify with. However, Phruksachart wants to offer us a more nuanced perspective in looking at them: people with real history and stories of their decades of work in the entertainment industry. 

“What would it mean to see them like our ancestors, not just as people to be embarrassed about or ashamed of?” she said. “How do we really look at them and their work?” 

As a fellow in the Institute of Humanities, Phruksachart starts her morning writing at her home. She comes to the office in the afternoon to spend more time writing, talking with people, and attending seminars and events. Phruksachart especially enjoys the community aspect the Institute offers. 

“Writing a book seems like just something you do by yourself,” Phruksachart said. “But in reality, humanities work is still about talking with people and sharing ideas. Having a cohort of people who have the time to talk with each other is such a gift.”

She reflects on these questions as the book unfolds along the historical backdrop of the world’s changing geo-political environment. Connecting Cold War media to our current time and beyond, Phruksachart wonders if the future generations will view media productions from a very different perspective, no matter what good intentions we have been aiming for. She hopes we don’t only critique past projects from our present perspective, but also look at what people were trying to do in that moment under given circumstances.

And as for advice for humanities students, Phruksachart offers one point for undergrads.

“It's okay to be a rebel and to disappoint your parents.”

 

Melissa Phruksachart is a 2024-25 John Rich Faculty Fellow at the Institute for the Humanities and Assistant Professor of Film, Television, & Media.

Yuchen Wu is a 2024-25 Public Humanities Intern at the Institute for the Humanities and a junior majoring in Art & Design and pursuing minors in Gender, Race, and Nation; Community Action and Social Change; and Theatre Design and Production.