Images of Asians in American Culture

Webinar Leader

Sylvia Chong
Assistant Professor, Department of English/American Studies Program
University of Virginia

Webinar Details

The Yellow Peril in American Film and Visual Culture

Coined by Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany in 1895, the term “yellow peril” has come to describe the racial threat posed to the West by the rising powers of the Far East, specifically China and Japan. In the U.S., the yellow peril has been used to describe not only military encounters in Asia but also the growth of Asian American immigration, threatening the nation from within. This webinar will explore the history of Asian America through the lens of the yellow peril, situating popular representations of these racial panics within the context of historical events and trends in immigration law, foreign affairs, and domestic politics. Along the way, we will investigate what it means to incorporate visual culture such as popular film, photography, political cartoons and advertisements into a history classroom. How can we look at these objects as more than antiquated displays of racism? Can these objects tell a history of more than subjugation and exploitation? Are the techniques they use to represent Asians and Asian Americans at work elsewhere in visual culture?