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CFP for Edited Collection
Trans/National Asian Identities in Pan-Pacific Cinemas
Edited by Philippa Gates and Lisa Funnell

Hollywood’s representation of Asians and Asian Americans has often been regarded by critics and scholars as inadequate and/or offensive. Historically, Asian characters have been portrayed as stereotypical or absent from images of mainstream America; the last decade, however, has seen a change in the representation of Asian identity. Once the “model minority” but now the action hero/ine, Asian characters embody positive, if often conflicting, associations of national and transnational identity. American film does not exist within a vacuum and influences—but also is influenced by—other cinemas with the exchange of not only the images of national and diasporic identities but also film industry talent from directors to stars.

The unprecedented international success of the Hong Kong-Chinese/American film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (Lee 2000) helped to usher in a new phase of mainstream/commercial Pan-Asian film production. In light of the increasingly transnational character of Asian film production and the prevalence of multi-ethnic and multi-national casts, David Desser argues that “questions of national origin must take a back seat to what is obviously Pan-Asian and even global filmmaking. Film producers and distributors are thus already acknowledging what academics seem reluctant to admit: the transnational character of contemporary filmmaking in Asia” (2005: 218). In the wake of increasing globalization— which is often construed as Americanization—there has been a lack of critical attention focussed on the performance of Asian and Asian-American screen identities in Pan-Asian films.

The aim of this collection of essays is to explore the transnational exchange of Asian and Asian-American screen identities mediated through Hollywood and Asian films and/or co-productions. Since our goal is to present global perspectives on contemporaneous issues, we welcome scholarly contributions from outside North America.

Proposals are welcome on topics that include:
- transnational Asian and/or Asian-American stardom
- transnational Asian and/or Asian-American identities
- identity construction in transnational co-productions
- multiracial and multiethnic casting in Pan-Asian cinema
- revisiting/reclaiming Asian-American screen identities of Classical Hollywood
- mainstreaming of Mainland Chinese Cinema and its globalizing aspirations
- residual impact of the Hong Kong action cinema on Hollywood in the 2000s
- impact of Hollywood on Pan-Asian filmmaking
- the rise of multiracial and multiethnic action heroes in mainstream action films
- the impact of the Asian Financial Crisis on Pan-Asian filmmaking
- the transnational work of Asian directors or choreographers
- the exchange of themes between American, Pan-Asian, and/or other cinemas
- other relevant topics

Please send your 500 word abstract (with bibliography/filmography) and an author bio as email attachments by January 15, 2010 to Philippa Gates and Lisa Funnell

- Decisions regarding the successful proposals will be completed by March 1, 2010
- Final papers will be required by July 1, 2010