Asian American Literature in Transition, 1965–1996: Volume 3

This volume traces the formation of the Asian American literary canon and the field of Asian American Studies from 1965–1996.

Asha Nadkarni (Edited by), Cathy J. Schlund-Vials (Edited by)

9781108843850, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 17 June 2021

436 pages
23.5 x 15.8 x 2.9 cm, 0.76 kg

Asian American Literature in Transition Volume Three: 1965–1996 offers a multidisciplinary perspective on the political and aesthetic stakes of what is now recognizable as an Asian American literary canon. It takes as its central focus the connections among literature, history, and migration, exploring how the formation of Asian American literary studies is necessarily inflected by demographic changes, student activism, the institutionalization of Asian American studies within the U.S. academy, U.S foreign policy (specifically the Cold War and conflicts in Southeast Asia), and the emergence of 'diaspora' and 'transnationalism' as important critical frames. Moving through sections that consider migration and identity, aesthetics and politics, canon formation, and transnationalism and diaspora, this volume tracks predominant themes within Asian American literature to interrogate an ever-evolving field. It features nineteen original essays by leading scholars, and is accessible to beginners in the field and more advanced researchers alike.

Part I. Immigration, Migration and Movement: 1. Scrutinizing Impossible Subjects Monica Chiu
2. The Model Minority and Debt Erin Khuê Ninh
3. Displaced Subjects and Refugee Literature Timothy August
4. 1.5 Generation Literature as Asian Americanist Critique Marguerite Nguyen
Part II. Politics, Art and Activism: 5. Furious Dialectics: Diasporic Anger in the Poetry of Li-Young Lee James Kim
6. Asian American Literature and the Vietnam War Catherine Fung
7. Cross-Racial Solidarities and Asian American Literature Jeehyun Lim
8. Re/Collecting Asian American Performance Christine Mok
9. Multiculturalism and its Discontents Lynn Itagaki
Part III. Institutionalization and Canon Formation: 10. On Recovering Early Asian American Literature Floyd Cheung
11. Asian American Poetics Warren Liu
12. Maxine Hong Kingston's The Woman Warrior: A Milestone in Asian American Literature Lan Dong
13. Making a Necessity of Extravagance: Work and Play in the Asian American (ist) Economy Chris A. Eng
14. Marking the Difference made by 'Heterogeneity, Hybridity and Multiplicity': Lisa Lowe's Impact on Asian American Studies Melissa Phruksachart
Part IV. Diaspora and the Transnational Turn: 15. Rethinking Nationalistic Attachments through Narratives of Return, 1965–1995 Patricia Chu
16. Diasporic Longings Bakirathi Mani
17. Transnational Sexualities Patrick S. Lawrence
18. Intimacy, Imperialism and America: Revisiting Post-47 Postcolonial and Asian American Writing Kavita Daiya
19. Hemispheric Imaginings and Global Transitions: The Geopolitics of Asian American Literature in the Americas Crystal Parikh.

Subject Areas: Politics & government [JP], Black & Asian studies [JFSL3], Migration, immigration & emigration [JFFN], The Cold War [HBTW], Asian history [HBJF], Literary reference works [DSR], Literary studies: fiction, novelists & prose writers [DSK], Literary studies: poetry & poets [DSC], Literary studies: from c 1900 - [DSBH]