The Legibility of Asian American Activism Studies

Abstract

This essay examines “Asian American Activism studies” and asks:  What changes through the legibility of Asian American activism studies?  What does Asian American activism research uniquely offer?  We offer a historiographical analysis examining topical themes as well as theoretical and methodological interventions across time.  We provide an overview of the articles in this special issue.  We discuss future directions, attending to the ways that research on activism remains surprisingly sparse in certain major areas within Asian American studies as well as to the ways that particular trends within the field are anticipated to shape activism studies.