AMSTUD 186D: Asian American Art (ARTHIST 186B, ARTHIST 386B, ASNAMST 186B)

Course Description

This lecture course explores the work of artists and makers of Asian descent from 1850-present. Rather than a discrete identity category, we approach 'Asian American' as an expansive, relational term that encompasses heterogenous experiences of racialization and migration. Key themes include the history of immigration and displacement; diasporic geographies; art, activism, and community; feminist/queer perspectives; and interethnic conflict and solidarity. The course is structured around the Asian American Art Initiative's Fall exhibition Spirit House: Haunting and the Asian Diaspora at the Cantor Arts Center; sections will be held in the museum and at Stanford Special Collections.