Cultures & Contexts: Asian / Pacific / American Cultures

Catalog description

Asian Americans make up roughly 7% of the population of the United States and are the nation’s fastest growing racial group. Pacific Islanders continue to fight for their sovereignty amid battles against U.S. militarism and climate catastrophe. The demographic grouping of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders often seems awkward and unnatural. In considering how the histories, cultures, and politics of these groups unite and diverge, we gain a broader understanding of the formation of marginalized social identities, and how they are shaped by the forces of war, empire, capital, and social movements. We approach these questions historically, with detailed examinations of primary source documents and expressive culture. We conclude by asking how our understandings of Asian American and Pacific Islander identities shed new light on contemporary issues.