Asian American Literature Fans

yah. perennial question for asian american literary studies. i'm of the camp that thinks that, yes, all writers should be free to self-identify, but also that publishers, critics, and readers are active producers of what "asian american literature" is as a category. that is, the act of naming an author an asian american author or a text an asian american text is a powerful rhetorical move that has consequences (both good and bad!).