East Asian Cinemas in a Global Frame

Arguably, cinema has political value because it manipulates the texture of our collective imaginations, shaping how the world, races, nations and regions appear before globally differentiated audiences. By analyzing films from Hollywood, the PRC, Japan, Korea, Hong Kong and Taiwan, this course charts how “East Asia” emerged cinematically as a textured cultural and geopolitical entity within the framework of a broader global circulation of images. Topics covered include Hollywood Orientalisms, Japanese Empire, postsocialist China, and New Korean Cinema.