Contours of Asian American political theory: introductions and polemics

Abstract

This essay claims that Asian American political theory (AAPT) exists but needs to be more explicitly articulated. I contour AAPT as the practice and tradition of critical theoretical reflection upon Asian American politics. I then situate Claire Kim’s Dangerous Crossings (2015) and Lisa Lowe’s The Intimacies of Four Continents (2015) within this contour. I read Claire Kim’s approach to localized Asian American conflicts as a case of ethically and nationally inflected AAPT, while I read Lisa Lowe’s approach to global Asian/Asian American figures as a case of historically and transnationally inflected AAPT. These examples show that AAPT fits within some parameters of political theory and political science, but also anticipates a wider reconfiguration of basic concepts such as Asian American politics. My proposal is that AAPT be conceived and developed as a disciplinary and transdisciplinary project.

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