Law and Literature: How U.S. Exclusionary Laws Shaped the Asian American Experience and Literature
Format
Oral Presentation
Faculty Mentor Name
Xiaojing Zhou
Faculty Mentor Department
English
Abstract/Artist Statement
My research critically analyzes the relationship between U.S. exclusionary laws and Asian American identities, social positions, and literature. I argue that U.S. immigration and other laws, which intended to exclude Asians from entering the U.S., and from the U.S. citizenship, produced a unique racial identity and social positions for Asians as the perpetual “foreigners.” This identity and social position shaped not only the Asian American experience, but also literature. I argue that China Men by Maxine Hong Kingston and When the Emperor was Divine by Julia Otsuka are two salient examples of strategic counter-narratives that expose racial exclusion, subjugation, exploitation of Asian immigrants, and call into question cultural assimilation as the right of passage to U.S. citizenship.
Location
DeRosa University Center, Room 211
Start Date
27-4-2018 12:30 PM
End Date
27-4-2018 12:49 PM
Law and Literature: How U.S. Exclusionary Laws Shaped the Asian American Experience and Literature
DeRosa University Center, Room 211
My research critically analyzes the relationship between U.S. exclusionary laws and Asian American identities, social positions, and literature. I argue that U.S. immigration and other laws, which intended to exclude Asians from entering the U.S., and from the U.S. citizenship, produced a unique racial identity and social positions for Asians as the perpetual “foreigners.” This identity and social position shaped not only the Asian American experience, but also literature. I argue that China Men by Maxine Hong Kingston and When the Emperor was Divine by Julia Otsuka are two salient examples of strategic counter-narratives that expose racial exclusion, subjugation, exploitation of Asian immigrants, and call into question cultural assimilation as the right of passage to U.S. citizenship.