Asian American Musicking: Negotiation Identity, Race, and Diaspora

This course explores Asian Americans making music and performing, with a focus on how “musicking” provides a space for these artists to work through issues of identity/subjectivity, race, and diaspora in the United States. Over the course of the seminar, we will learn to critically listen and watch performances, informed by concepts and readings from various disciplines such as music studies, performance studies, literature, and history. We will address questions such as: What is Asian American music, and what are the potentials/pitfalls of such a category? How can Asian American musicking disrupt or reimagine common racial stereotypes and tropes? And how do Asian Americans use music to navigate their place within the racial binarism of Black/White America?