Undergraduate Call for Papers (deadline: June 1, 2011)

Intersections: A Conversation between African American and Asian American Studies

November 18-19, 2011

Location: University of Pennsylvania 

Rush Hour. The Karate Kid remake. Romeo Must Die. Nicki Minaj. Wu-tang Clan. This catalogue of popular films and musical acts reveals a prominent, if understudied, relationship between African Americans and Asian Americans. We, at the University of Pennsylvania, have organized an interdisciplinary graduate conference to examine the intersections between these two minority groups. While the conference will predominately consist of graduate panels, we have received such positive response from undergraduates that we are organizing a special undergraduate panel. We invite paper submissions that discuss the interactions between African and Asian Americans in contemporary popular culture, as well as in historical or literary contexts.

Paper topics may include (but are not limited to):

-Film and television (“cop” movies of the 90s, Shanghai Noon, Half & Half, etc.)

-Hip-hop lyrics and music videos

-Literature

-History (slave and coolie debates, Bandung Conference of 1955, the Cold War, LA riots of 1992 etc.)

-Visual art

-Urban education and/or housing

-Political coalitions/activist groups

This conference is a unique opportunity to present your work at a graduate conference. We particularly encourage students who are considering attending graduate school to apply. Papers will be pre-circulated, and the panel will be moderated by advanced graduate students specializing in literature, music, Asian American studies, and African American studies. 

To submit a proposal, email your name, institution, email address, proposal title and proposal abstract (no more than 500 words) to afasam.intersections@gmail.com by June 1, 2011. Papers will be pre-circulated so as to give panelists sufficient time to engage with and consider the other presentations on their panel. Once accepted, a full version of the paper (no more than 10 pages) will be expected by September 10, 2011. Please feel free to submit a paper that you have previously written for an Asian American or African American studies-related course.