Q & A: Queer in Asian America (Asian American History & Cultu) [Hardcover]

Alvin Eng (Author)

Book Description

Series: Asian American History & Cultu | Publication Date: August 24, 1998

What does it mean to be queer and Asian-American at the turn of the century? The writers, activists, essayists, and artists who contribute to this volume consider how Asian-American racial identity and queer sexuality interconnect in mutually shaping and complicating ways. Their collective aim (in the words of the editors) is 'to articulate a new conception of Asian-American racial identity, its heterogeneity, hybridity, and multiplicity-concepts that have after all underpinned the Asian-American moniker from its very inception. "Q & A" approaches matters of identity from a variety of points of view and academic disciplines in order to explore the multiple crossings of race and ethnicity with sexuality and gender. Drawing together the work of visual artists, fiction writers, community organizers, scholars, and participants in roundtable discussions, the collection gathers an array of voices and experiences that represent the emerging communities of a queer Asian-America.Collectively, these contributors contend that Asian-American studies needs to be more attentive to issues of sexuality and that queer studies needs to be more attentive to other aspects of difference, especially race and ethnicity. Vigorously rejecting the notion that a symmetrical relationship between race and homosexuality would weaken lesbian/gay and queer movements, the editors refuse to believe that a desirably queer world is one in which we remain perpetual aliens-queer houseguests-in a queer nation. Author note: David L. Eng is Assistant Professor of English and Comparative Literature, Columbia University. Alice Y. Hom is a doctoral candidate in history at Claremont Graduate University.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Gay Asian Americans face layers of discrimination in North American society, including homophobia, xenophobia, and racism (and, in the case of women, sexism), compounded by the fact that "Asian" is an ill-defined concept that subsumes distinctive and disparate cultures. Editors Eng (English and comparative literature, Columbia) and Hom have aimed for comprehensiveness in this handsome, large-format volume. But even by the standards of such anthologies, the selections here are exceptionally uneven. The strongest are those that convey the social, cultural, and artistic facets of the gay Asian American experience. Unfortunately, too many of the essays are marred by a tendency to cavil about victimization. Still, the subject is novel, and enough of the authors and artists here express themselves with graphic power and precision to recommend this book for both gay studies and Asian studies collections.ARichard Violette, Special Libraries Cataloging Inc., Victoria, BC
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"Astute, provocative, and exemplary, Q & A: Queer in Asian America sets a bold and serious agenda for engaging race, desire, culture, and globalization today." --Lisa Lowe, author of Immigrant Acts: On Asian-American Cultural Politics "The writers, artists, and activists in Q & A take us to so many fascinating places where 'queer' and 'Asian American' cross paths, that we end up seeing all of American history from a new angle of vision. This brilliant, provocative collection makes clear the kind of intelligence we lose whenever it's assumed that history is heterosexual and that 'queer' equals 'white.'" --Alan Berube, author of Coming Out Under Fire: The History of Gay Men and Women in World War Two "This is a spectacular set of essays that compel an important and creative shifting of perspective within every page. What is 'queer' and what is 'Asian American' turn out to be vitally defined by one another. Timely, brave, necessary, and incisive, this book should change every field that it touches." --Judith Butler, University of California, Berkeley "A breakthrough gathering of voices, astounding in their individual clarity and their collective diversity... Q & A presents a compelling challenge to those who cling to the notion that race and sexual orientation can be considered separate identities, rather than interwoven, interdependent aspects of one's singular social/political self." --Jeff Yang, publisher and founder of A. Magazine: Inside Asian America

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 445 pages
• Publisher: Temple University Press (August 24, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1566396395
• ISBN-13: 978-1566396394
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 7 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #796,209 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)