AMST1911: Asian Americans and Food

Asian Americans have always been intimately connected to food practices and institutions in the American imagination. Food is the medium through which Asian American cultural difference, their status as "perpetual foreigners," and the "model minority character" are typically expressed and disseminated. Historically, Asian migration to the United States was fueled by labor needs, particularly in the agricultural sector. In addition, Asian labor has been stereotypically linked to food service and preparation such as the ubiquitous Chinese take-out place and more recently, the sushi and Korean fusion joints. This course is an introduction to the interdisciplinary study of food as a way to understand the historical, social, and cultural aspects of Asian American food preparation, distribution, and consumption. Students will investigate the politics and poetics of Asian American food ways by examining social habits and rituals around food in homes, restaurants, and other public venues. Texts include ethnographic essays, fictional works, memoirs, magazines, visual arts, and television shows.

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