79-207 Asian American History through the Novel

9 units, Carnegie Mellon University

This course examines the interwoven histories of migration, language, and identity formation and re-formation in Asian American experience. How have migrant and diasporic identities been represented in fictional (or quasi-fictional) terms? How have factors such as race, religion, class, gender, and sexuality shaped everyday Asian American life? And how can literary sources enrich our understanding of such historical experiences? Course readings consist primarily of novels, representing a variety of Asian ethnicities and experiences, by authors including Gaiutra Bahadur, Carlos Bulosan, Maxine Hong Kingston, Joy Kogawa, Chang-Rae Lee, and John Okada. These works are supplemented by selected historical documents and short lectures to shed additional light onto the sociohistorical contexts and issues under study.

Prerequisites: none listed

Offered: Fall 2026

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