Spring 2010

LAS 366 • ASIANS IN LATIN AMER AND CARIB

Course Description

This course will provide an introduction to the history of Asian immigrants and Asian diaspora peoples in Latin America and the Caribbean from the early 18th century to the present. No previous knowledge of Asian or Latin American/Caribbean history is required. From the arrival of Filipino sailors on Spanish galleons to Mexico in the sixteenth century to the early 21st century migration of Asian immigrants to the southwestern hemisphere, our concern is to explore the historical trajectories of individual diaspora groups in the wider theoretical context of transnationalism, globalization, identity formation, gender dynamics, race, class, and sexuality. While we will concentrate on the three major diasporas to Latin America and the Caribbean - Chinese, Japanese, and East Indian ? we will also discuss Korean, Filipino, Vietnamese, and Arab immigrants and refer more broadly to the experiences of other Asian peoples in the Americas. Grading Policy Map Quiz of Asia 10% Map Quiz of Latin America 10% Reading Exams (2) 40% (20% each) Paper Proposal/Bibliography 10% Final Paper 30% Texts Jeffrey Lesser. A Discontented Diaspora: Japanese Brazilians and the Meanings of Ethnic Militancy, 1960-1980. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2007. V.S. Naipaul. A House for Mr. Biswas. New York: Vintage, 2001 [1961]. Additional book and articles via Library E-Reserve

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