Asian American Studies Program 2002-2003 Workshop Series,
"Gendered Spaces, Sexualized Places: New Routes to Asian America"

The Asian American Studies Program is pleased to announce a 2002-2003 Workshop series, "Gendered spaces, Sexualized places: New Routes to Asian America." This is an interdisciplinary workshop for interested faculty and graduate students that will meet through the year. Each session of the workshop will focus on one scholar's work in progress. The piece will be posted on a website prior to the meeting and will also be available for copying at the AASP office. The workshop is designed to provide an informal setting for academic discussion: a short presentation of the work will be followed by open dialogue and conversation.

Asian American Studies has become increasingly self-reflexive and self-critical about its original focus on race and ethnicity that explicitly and implicitly reduced other categories of difference and dominance to secondary importance. We chose this year's theme to ask how Asian American Studies would be transformed if we placed gender and sexuality at its very center. What are the implications for history, criticism, the arts, and the human sciences? Relatedly, what are the implications for progressive Asian American politics? What new "routes" and directions can we discover by shifting the center in this way? We hope that interested faculty and students will use this series to engage these and other questions to reframe and rethink Asian American Studies.

Workshop Presenters, Spring 2003

All workshops take place in the Asian American Studies Program building, 1208 W. Nevada.

Susan Moynihan, Visiting Scholar, UIUC Asian American Studies Program, “Photographic Articulations of Inscrutable Subjects," Wednesday, February 19, 1:00pm-3:00pm. This presentation focuses on the ambivalent effects of photography in Asian American women’s autobiographical writing. Photography, like autobiography, is characterized as a referential art. This presentation draws connections between the scholarship on the revealing and concealing nature of photographic representations in autobiographical texts, as exemplified in the work of Timothy Dow Adams, and King-kok Cheung’s argument for the role of both articulation and silence in Asian American women’s texts.

Eric Wat, Research Analyst, Los Angeles County Children & Families First, Proposition 10 Commission, "The Making of a Gay Asian Community," Tuesday, March 4, 10:00am-Noon. In this presentation, Wat will discuss the various political ideologies that informed and hindered the formation of the gay Asian identity and community in Los Angeles, as documented in his book, The Making of a Gay Asian Community: An Oral History of Pre-AIDS Los Angeles. He will talk about the connection between this early generation of gay Asian men and the state of gay Asian community in Los Angeles today.

Thomas Nakayama, Professor, Hugh Downs School of Human Communication, Arizona State University. "Sexualities and Asian/America: Redirecting the Conversation," Wednesday April 8, 10:00am-Noon. A focus on the question of sexualities in exploring the movement of Asians in the Americas offers new insights into the regulation of bodies, as well as the ideological construction of "American." By centering sexuality at the center of this international and intercultural contact, we can begin to reconsider the ways that sexuality has been used to regulate this contact, as well as the impossibility of doing so. As Asian/America relentlessly redefines itself in the new century, discussions of sexualities need to be at the center of this process.

Asian American Studies Program 2002-2003 Film Series, "Fusions"

The Asian American "Experience," though inclusive of a wide variety of ethnicities, cultures, religions and immigration trajectories, shares certain facets. In spite of their long standing histories in this country, Asian Pacific Americans have struggled with notions of "home" and belonging, with their identities that were circumscribed by a sense of being "outsiders," or "foreigners." Through this process, they are faced with the task of creating new, fluid identities. Inherent in this process is the pain of cultural loss, and the challenge of creating new notions of what it means to be Asian American. The 2002-2003 Asian American Studies Program film series, "Fusions," screens films that address these issues and reminds us of the complex question of what and where is "home."

Films are shown at the AASP Building, 1208 West Nevada St., at Noon. For more information, contact the AASP at 244.9530.

Fall 2002 Screenings

Being Hmong Means Being Free
Friday, September 27, 2002, Noon-1pm, AASP building, 1208 W. Nevada St.
When the U.S. withdrew from the Vietnam War in 1975, approximately 120,000 Hmong were driven from their homeland in Laos and forced to re-establish their lives elsewhere. Focusing on a Hmong immigrant community in Wisconsin, this documentary offers a comprehensive look at many fundamental concepts and practices of the Hmong culture -- weddings, funerals, the "ball toss," the shaman, clans, and the "flower cloth" -- and relates how those traditions have framed the Hmong culture and community in America.

The Chinatown Files
Friday, October 25, 2002, Noon-1:00pm, AASP building, 1208 W. Nevada St.
During the McCarthy era of witchhunts, the loyalties of over ten thousand American citizens of Chinese descent were questioned based on their ethnicity and alleged risk to national security. The Chinatown Files reveals the hidden story of Chinese-American men and women who were investigated, jailed, and targeted for deportation during the Cold War hysteria of the 1950's and l960's. Their interviews are interwoven with rare home movies, photographs and archival films exploring the prejudice and xenophobia surrounding U.S.-China relations.

Desi: South Asians in New York
Friday, November 15, 2002, Noon-1:00pm, AASP building, 1208 W. Nevada St.
"Desi" is a groundbreaking tribute to the diversity and dynamism the 200,000 South Asians living in New York City. A Hindi word meaning "countryman" or "people of the soil," desi refers to a broad, multicultural spectrum of South Asians-- Pakistanis, Indians, Bangladeshis, Sri Lankans, Nepalese and others - who have become an integral part of this region. The lively interviews and scenes of community life, religion and culture include comedians Alladin and Bhangra DJ Rekha as well as members of the many religious groups (Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Syrian Christians, and South Asian Jews). Illustrating the growing sense of shared identity here in America, Pakistani and Indian cab drivers are seen uniting in a New York taxi strike as nuclear tests explode on their native subcontinent, threatening the outbreak of. "Desi" provides a valuable historical, cultural and sociological context for understanding this growing population.

Spring 2003 screenings:

Rabbit in the Moon
Friday, February 28, 2002, Noon-1:00pm, AASP building, 1208 W. Nevada St.
Visually stunning and emotionally compelling, this film challenges the common notion that Japanese Americans willingly uprooted their families to live in racially segregated concentration camps during World War II. After decades of silence, former internees speak openly about their acts of protest and reflect on the psychological toll the camps took on themselves and their community.

Crossing Chasms
Friday, March 14, 2002, Noon-1:00pm, AASP building, 1208 W. Nevada St.
Jennifer Arndt, a Korean adoptee, returns to her birth country seeking answers to the complex questions surrounding her adoption. On this journey, she meets other Korean adoptees who share their experiences as she tries to locate her own biological family. Through her own story and the testimonies of seven other adoptees, we learn about the complex issues facing Korean adoptees through their own voices.

Turbans
Friday, April 18, 2002, Noon-1:00pm, AASP building, 1208 W. Nevada St.
Based on the memoirs of the filmmaker’s grandmother, “Turbans” explores the inner struggles of an Asian Indian immigrant family torn between their cultural traditions and the desire for social acceptance in America. Although born in the United States, the Singh boys are attacked for being different. The turbans they wear, a tradition sacred to their Sikh ancestors, serve only to identify them as outsiders in the prejudiced landscape of Astoria, Oregon circa 1918.

Dictee by Theresa Hak Kyung Cha: An Informal Book Discussion

Thursday, September 12, 2002, 5:30pm-8:00pm, Krannert Art Museum

Moderated by Nancy Abelmann, Associate Professor of East Asian Languages and Cultures and Anthropology, with guest speakers:

Nan Kim, Peggy Hong, Susan Moynihan, and Charse Yun.

The book discussion will feature four speakers who will talk about the impact of Cha's work on their professional and personal lives. The colloquium will be followed by a dinner and a guided tour of the exhibit, The Dream of the Audience: Theresa Hak Kyung Cha (1951-1982), which runs at the Krannert Art Museum from September 4-October 27, 2002. Pre-registration required.

Co-sponsors: the Illinois Program for Research in the Humanities, Krannert Art Museum, and the Asian American Studies Program. For more information, visit the Krannert Art Museum

Reception for New and Returning Faculty, Staff, and Students

Tuesday, September 17, 2002, 4:00-6:00pm AASP Building, 1208 W. Nevada St.

Program to begin at 4:30 pm with remarks by speakers Richard H. Herman, Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Jesse G. Delia, Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. The UIUC Asian American Studies Program invites all interested to participate in this welcoming reception. The event will be a good opportunity to learn more about the new changes for the program this year- including the new director Kent A. Ono, the minor, internship opportunities, and upcoming events.

The AASP building was also relocated and renovated. All are welcome to come tour the new facility. Refreshments will be served.
For more information, contact the Asian American Studies Program at (217) 244-9530.

"Multiracial Heritage: How and What is Asian American Enough?"
a lecture by Maria Root, Psychologist and President, Washington State Psychological Association.

Monday, September 23, 2002 , 2:00-4:00pm, AASP Building, 1208 W. Nevada St.

This lecture will examine some of the major trends of mixed heritage and the forces that shape identity politics within various Asian American communities. Physical appearance, exposure to an Asian American community, racial mixture, social class, and name are discussed as some of the variables used to make assumptions about the racial identity choices of mixed race persons of Asian American descent.

This lecture is part of Maria Root's visit to campus. Dr. Root is the keynote speaker for the Dennis H. May Conference on Diversity Issues and the Role of Counseling Centers, sponsored by the Counseling Center, September 23-24, 2002. Paid for by the Asian Pacific American Resource committee

Migration Studies Workshop:
"Embodying the History of the Cultural Revolution:

Pedagogical Departures in Anchee Min's Red Azalea"
Susan Moynihan, Visiting Scholar,

UIUC Asian American Studies Program
Wednesday, October 9, 2002, Noon-1:30pm, Asian American Studies Program building, 1208 W. Nevada St.

Part of the UIUC Migration Studies Working Group Series. Anchee Min's memoir, Red Azalea, originally written in English and published in the United States in 1994, has become known both for its "honest" portrayal of China's Cultural Revolution and for its eroticism in representing Min’s quest to become “Red Azalea,” a heroine of the Communist model operas. This essay addresses the conflicted relationship to femininity and sensuality in the figure of the operatic heroine, created as the embodiment of a national historical vision and as an edifying force for the Chinese people. This essay also addresses how the narrative’s erotic dimension affects what can be known about the Cultural Revolution. To attend this workshop contact Dorothee Schneider at: schndr@uiuc.edu.

"Scenes from the Pacific Rim: Gender, Globalization and the Asian Diaspora,"
a lecture by Evelyn Hu-DeHart, Department of History & Center for the Study of Race & Ethnicity in America,

Brown University
Thursday, October 17, 2002, 4:00 p.m. Room 314, Illini Union

Evelyn Hu-DeHart examines the movement of women and men from Asia to the Americas. She discusses the diasporic patterns, costs the migrants bear, and how the migrants shape the societies and cultures of their new countries. This presentation is part of a public symposium on Gender and Transnational Networks held October 17 -19. For more information, please contact the Women and Gender in Global Perspectives Program, 333-1994.

Asian American Studies Program 2002-2003 Workshop Series,

"Gendered Spaces, Sexualized Places: New Routes to Asian America"

The Asian American Studies Program is pleased to announce a 2002-2003 Workshop series, "Gendered spaces, Sexualized places: New Routes to Asian America." This is an interdisciplinary workshop for interested faculty and graduate students that will meet through the year. Each session of the workshop will focus on one scholar's work in progress. The piece will be posted on a website prior to the meeting and will also be available for copying at the AASP office. The workshop is designed to provide an informal setting for academic discussion: a short presentation of the work will be followed by open dialogue and conversation.

Asian American Studies has become increasingly self-reflexive and self-critical about its original focus on race and ethnicity that explicitly and implicitly reduced other categories of difference and dominance to secondary importance. We chose this year's theme to ask how Asian American Studies would be transformed if we placed gender and sexuality at its very center. What are the implications for history, criticism, the arts, and the human sciences? Relatedly, what are the implications for progressive Asian American politics? What new "routes" and directions can we discover by shifting the center in this way? We hope that interested faculty and students will use this series to engage these and other questions to reframe and rethink Asian American Studies.

"Queer Diasporas and Transnational Adoption,"David Eng, Associate Professor of English, Rutgers Univeresity
Tuesday, October 22, 2002, 1:00-3:00pm, AASP Building, 1208 West Nevada St.

Part of the Asian American Studies Program Workshop Series, "Gendered spaces, Sexualized places: New Routes to Asian America"
It is crucial to investigate the material implications of transnational adoption, and it is equally important to explore the psychic dimensions of the practice. This essay explores both the political and psychic economy of transnational adoption. It begins with a description of the evolving politics of family and kinship relations in the late-twentieth century. Through an analysis of a recent John Hancock commercial depicting American lesbians adopting in China, it examines the historical conditions and contradictions of transnational adoption that make new social formations of family and kinship thinkable. This essay will be made available in advance for workshop participants. For more information, contact: Kapila Sankaran

"Easy Exoticism: Culinary Performances of Indianness," Anita Mannur, Post-Doctoral Fellow, UIUC Asian American Studies Program
Wednesday, November 20, 2002, 1-3pm, AASP building, 1208 West Nevada St.

This paper examines the traditional invisibilty of Indian American bodies on television-particularly on cooking shows. It explores the gendered and sexualized performance of Indianness as it emerges in Food Network specials hosted by Indian American women, Maya Kaimal and Padma Lakshmi, inquiring into the conflation of food, sensuality, and exoticism. This essay will be made available in advance for workshop participants. For more information, contact Kapila Sankaran

"Queer Diasporas/Psychic Diasporas:

The Structure of Kinship in Wong Kar-wai's Happy Together"

Lecture by David Eng, Associate Professor of English, Rutgers University

Tuesday, October 22, 2002, 6:30pm-8:00pm, 160 English Building

The late-twentieth century has witnessed the emergence of a spectrum of new social formations and identities. What are the material conditions that make these new social formations thinkable, these new identities livable? And, equally important, what are the psychic structures that work to support these new social formations and identities-that seek to insure not just their inhabitability but their reproducibility? Focusing on the crossings of gender and sexuality in the global context of the Asian diaspora, this presentation investigates emergence and erasures of queer sexuality and identity in Wong Kar-wai's Happy Together. Co-sponsored by: Comparative Literature, Illinois Program for Research in the Humanities, and the Asian American Studies Program. For more information, contact Kapila Sankaran

East of California Conference, National Identity and the "Homeland"

November 7-9, 2002, UIUC Campus