Trauma in Asian American Literature
ENGL 323
Spring 2018 not offered
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| Crosslisting:
AMST 323 |
The relationship between Asian Americans and the U.S. nation-state has been understood by a number of scholars as reciprocally traumatizing. The incorporation of racially-marked Asian Americans into the United States has been historically perceived and figured as an incursion, a wound, a rupture in the homogeneity of a national body that must be managed through legal exclusions and discrimination. Meanwhile, many argue that these historical exclusions have in turn "traumatized" Asian American identity, such that, as Anne Cheng wrote, "in Asian American literature... assimilation foregrounds itself as a repetitive trauma." This course will examine the concept of trauma and the cultural work it performs in both Asian American fiction and criticism. As we explore the ways trauma has enabled certain discussions about immigration, assimilation, and historical memory, we will also ask questions about the limits of trauma as a model for understanding these processes and consider what discussions this widely prevalent paradigm might obscure or occlude. |
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| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
HA AMST |
| Course Format: Seminar | Grading Mode: Graded |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: None |
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Fulfills a Requirement for: (AMST) |
Major Readings:
Theresa Cha, DICTEE
Susan Choi, THE FOREIGN STUDENT
John Okada, NO-NO BOY
Norma Okja Keller, COMFORT WOMAN
Joy Kogawa, OBASAN
Chang-rae Lee, A GESTURE LIFE
Fae Myenne Ng, BONE
Additional theoretical readings by Sigmund Freud, Cathy Caruth, Dominick LaCapra, Hayden White, David Eng, Anne Cheng, Michel Foucault, Wendy Brown, and others
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Examinations and Assignments:
weekly responses; 2 short papers; 1 long paper |
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