CALL FOR PAPERS
East of California Section-Sponsored Panels for the AAAS Conference in Washington, DC (April 11-15, 2012)
SUBMISSION DEADLINE: SEPTEMBER 20, 2011
Based on the conference theme, “Expanding the Political: Power, Poetics, Practices,†the East-of-California Section seeks to sponsor the following three panels at the 2012 AAAS Conference in Washington, DC. We invite faculty, graduate students and community members who are involved in Asian American politics and art to submit proposals to one of these panels by emailing a 250-word abstract and a two-page CV to Mark Chiang (mchiang00@gmail.com) and Eric Hung (msumeric@gmail.com) by September 20, 2011.
PANEL: Asian Americans and Conservative Politics East of California
Asian American voters have become increasingly “Democratic-leaning†in federal elections over the past two decades. Simultaneously, a number of Asian Americans have become highly visible in conservative politics. Not only have Dinesh D’Souza and Elaine Chao served in the Reagan and second Bush administrations, Bobby Jindal and Nikki Haley have become governors of Louisiana and South Carolina. Additionally, Michelle Malkin has become a prominent conservative pundit on Fox News.
This panel seeks papers that address the rise of Asian Americans in conservative politics—the Republican Party, neoliberal and libertarian organizations, the Tea Party—east of California. What led to this rise? What are its implications for Asian American identity and Asian American Studies? What impacts have these figures made on the Conservative movement? What roles has religion played in this trend? Is it an inevitable result of increased assimilation?
PANEL: Asian American Political Art
This panel seeks papers that address the relationship between art (broadly defined), politics and Asian America. We are particularly interested in studies of visual art, film, dance, music and literature that engage with the formal political system or the political process. Potential topics include:
- methodological issues raised by political art
- art as a tool of political legitimation or resistance
- propagandistic works about Asian America or Asian immigration
- art’s impact on the terms of debate and political actions
- the role of community in the creation and use of political art
PANEL: Questions of State
What role does the state play in Asian American politics, culture and community? We seek papers that address any aspect of the state, from historical studies of Asian American actors in the political system or state apparatus (government employees, politicians, lobbyists and others), to theoretical reflections on the contemporary transformations of the state and its impact on ideological struggles over political hegemony, to investigations of the state’s place in the global economy and how that shapes Asian American subjects or communities. What kinds of power still operate through the state and where are Asian Americans located in relation to that power? Is the state still an essential site of political or cultural struggles, or is it becoming increasingly marginal to transnational movements or organizations?