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CALL FOR PROPOSALS (DUE: FEB. 10, 2025):

PHOTOGRAPHY AND ASIAN DIASPORAS IN THE AMERICAS



Center for Creative Photography, UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA, April 26-27, 2025

 

Although Asian diasporic communities in the Americas have long been subjects in photography — most often portrayed as exotic ethnic enclaves -- they have also sought to challenge this narrow visual framework. This symposium explores the diverse and creative ways that Asian diasporic communities have mobilized photography. 

 

We invite scholars, researchers, curators, and photographers to submit proposals for a symposium on Photography and Asian Diasporas in the Americas [April 26-27, 2025]. This interdisciplinary initiative explores the historical trajectories, cultural productions, political mobilizations, and social realities of Asian diasporic communities across the Americas. It draws on Cathy Park Hong's concept of "minor feelings"—the dissonant emotions arising from the contradictions between lived experiences and dominant narratives about race and identity. This framework challenges us to confront discomfort, name the unspoken, and reimagine how Asian diasporas are represented in photography, how photography shapes new forms of belonging, and how it can intervene in public discourse.

Through this symposium, we will collectively address such questions as:

• How has photography documented the migration histories and lived experiences of Asian diasporic communities in the Americas, particularly their connections and disconnections with Indigenous, Black, and other migrant groups?
• In what ways has photography shaped or challenged representations of identity—race, gender, sexuality, and belonging—within Asian diasporic contexts?
• How have photographers from Asian diasporic communities used their work for activism, advocacy, or to address systemic racism, xenophobia, and violence?
• What role does photography play in exploring transnational connections and the intersections of globalization, digital media, and diaspora?

We invite proposals on topics related to “Asian Diaspora in the Americas” and are open to a broad span of approaches and topics relating to photography. We especially welcome proposals from graduate students, practitioners, and emerging scholars. Proposals should be up to 200 words in length. Papers and creative works may be selected for peer-reviewed consideration for a special issue of Trans Asia Photography.

 

We plan to cover two nights of accommodation for all conference participants. 

 

DEADLINES

February 10, 2025: 200-word proposals and 100-word biographies due to jeeheykim@arizona.edu

March 1, 2025: Decisions shared with applicants.

April 1, 2025: Program finalized and circulated on social media

April 26-27, 2025: Symposium at the Center for Creative Photography, University of Arizona, Tucson