This abbreviated, three-session syllabus provides a brief and unavoidably incomplete introduction to American American political organizing. This schedule is organized around three keywords (labor, belonging, and empire) that will act as framing devices for conversation. It operates under the tenet that understanding contemporary conditions requires a robust fluency in historical materialism. As such, the syllabus attempts to trace the historical production of “Asian America” as a legible racial/ethnic category and is weighted towards the nineteenth- and early-to-mid- twentieth centuries.

The syllabus is also structured so that, if you are short on time, the texts are listed in the order of recommended readings and allow the group to all at least have shared touchstones. However, even if you are unable to read for a given session, feel free to attend regardless – learning happens best through discussion, and it is just as valuable to practice asking questions and articulating ideas to each other. We will be using hypothes.is to facilitate a collaborative reading process. To learn more about the tool: https://web.hypothes.is/start/

See the full syllabus here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nc5xEV8WLc6tr8qTeQDIwK20piOdK_XmaTL37lwLXYA/edit?usp=sharing

Signing up will give you a Zoom link you can use to access the sessions.