This course introduces Asian American literary tradition in the 20th century and explores its contradictory nature--as aesthetic expression "that cannot repress the material inequalities of its condition and production," according to Lisa Lowe, and as expressing both claims to and exceeding the boundaries of citizenship and belonging. Our readings and discussions will reflect and keep alive these contradictions, and in this spirit, will examine literary texts--including works by Hisaye Yamamoto, Jessica Hagedorn, Shawn Wong, and Monique Truong, among others--as reflective and constitutive of both socio-historical experiences and an emergent literary tradition. While the literary texts provide the primary grounding for our inquiries, we will also approach them through interdisciplinary lenses and supplement the readings with works in Asian Americanist scholarship from fields like history and sociology.