CFP: JAAS Special Issue, Asian Americans and Violence

Call for Papers

Journal of Asian American Studies

Special Issue: Asian Americans and Violence

Please note the early deadline: July 15, 2007


This special issue invites essays that address the relationship between race, culture, and violence as it pertains specifically to Asian Americans.  Extra consideration will be given to essays that consider this topic broadly, and that focus on Asian Americans not only as the objects of violence but also its agents.  For instance, essays might address questions like: What does it mean for Asian Americans to be perpetrators as well as victims?  What effect does this have on our understanding of gender roles and gender relations?  What affect does this have on representations of Asian Americans?  How important is it for us to define violence broadly to include domestic abuse, public policies that abandon large groups to
premature death, or war?  How does focusing on violence help us to understand transformations in the structural position of Asian American racial formations?  The primary occasion for this special issue is the recent shooting at Virginia Tech.  As revelations of the shooter’s racial and ethnic identity led to expressions of worry
about a racial backlash, we are reminded of the ways in which race and violence have long been inextricably linked to one another in the U.S.  But when the shooter turns out be Asian American, adding Seung-Hui Cho’s name to a list that includes Chai Vang, Andrew Cunanan, and Gang Lu, we are compelled to consider how complex this link can be.

Because of its topicality, this special issue has been fast-tracked to appear in print this year.  The deadline for essays is July 15, 2007, and should be emailed as an attachment following the appropriate JAAS submission guidelines to the guest editor, Min Hyoung Song (songm@bc.edu).  Questions about this special issue can
also be emailed to him.