Feng-Mei Heberer, "Asians on Demand: Mediating Race in Video Art and Activism" (U Minnesota Press, 2023)
New Books in Critical Theory
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Sentimental Activism and Queer Migrant Subjectivities in Taiwan
The chapter explores the intersection of activism and art, particularly focusing on sentimental activism and its impact on Southeast Asian queer migrant workers in Taiwan. It delves into the complexities of aesthetics, social justice, and activist tactics within the geopolitical tensions of the region, emphasizing the use of emotions and relatability to mobilize viewers for social justice causes like participating in protests and holding authorities accountable. The discussion also includes comparisons of different video art works, highlighting the challenges in defining the works as purely autobiographical and the deliberate distancing from traditional readings for disrupting assumptions about authenticity and narrative control.
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