English 190

Research Seminar: Asian American Fiction

Other Readings and Media

Choi, S.: American Woman; Ghosh, A.: Sea of Poppies; Hamid, M.: The Reluctant Fundamentalist; Kingston, M. H.: The Woman Warrior; Lee, C. R.: Native Speaker; Ong, H.: Fixer Chao; Truong, M.: The Book of Salt; Yamashita, K.: Tropic of Orange

Description

If we accept that “Asian American” names a fictive ethnicity, what has been the power of Asian American literature’s social imagination? How has Asian American literature not only reflected the constructedness of Asian American identity but also contributed to the building of Asian American racial formation? In the putative context of globalization, what kind of psychic identification, political affiliation, or social experience does “Asian American” name? This seminar will introduce students to Asian American literature and history, with particular attention to their interaction and mutual influence since the invention of the identity in the 1960s. Besides the influential fictional texts listed here, we will also read selected critical works in Asian American Studies. Active in-class participation and the production of a research paper are required. This course is appropriate for students engaged in activist Asian American projects (and seeking to reflect further on these) as well as those without prior background in Asian American Studies (and seeking initial orientation).

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