The “New” Cold War, Late US Empire, and the Limit and Litmus of American Studies

Session Submission Type: Non-Paper Session: Roundtable Format

Abstract

With the rise of the “new” Cold War discourse surrounding China’s ascent, Trump’s return to power, and the resurgence of ultra-right fascism and authoritarianism across Asia—including India, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, and the Philippines—these dynamics are intertwined with the geopolitical strategies shaped by the roles assumed by the U.S. and China. Not to mention, this occurs alongside ongoing wars and genocides in the Middle East and West Asia. In this roundtable, we invite engaged scholars in and across the Pacific regions to address the problematic of the U.S. empire and the limit and litmus of its transnational and transpacific critiques. By engaging with the scholarship in American Studies, Ethnic Studies, and Asian Studies, we critically interrogate the underlying epistemological assumptions mediated by the familiar critical languages in which the Americanists are trained (empire, settler/colonialism, transnational, for instance). Despite their criticalities, when it comes to localities outside the U.S., these assumptions yield unintended effects on local politics that are at times at odds with their critical intentions and endeavors, in terms of languages, translation, representation and mediation. We hope to open up critical space for productive conversations as part of our efforts and commitment to envision and act upon renewed critical languages and actions in confronting the morphosis of the U.S. empire in the long run.

Sub Unit

• Annual Meeting of the American Studies Association

Chair

• Chien-Ting Lin, National Central University

Panelists

• Josen M Diaz

• Yi-hung Liu, Independent scholar

• Kyung Hee Ha, North Carolina State University

• Yohei Sekiguchi

Biographical Information

Chien-ting Lin: Associate Professor of English and Inter-Asia Cultural Studies at National Central University, Taiwan.

Josen Masangkay Diaz: Associate Professor of Critical Race and Ethnic Studies at UC-Santa Cruz

Yi-hung Liu teaches cultural studies at National Tsing Hua University (Taiwan) and works as a freelance translator.

Kyung Hee Ha: Assistant Professor of Japanese Studies, North Carolina State University.

Yohei Sekiguchi: Associate Professor of English at Ferris University, Japan