Seulghee Lee's "Other Lovings" explores the power of love within Black and Asian American cultures. The book challenges critical theories that emphasize negativity by highlighting the positive role of love in shaping social life and resistance. Lee analyzes literary and cultural works, examining how love creates bonds and fosters collectivity. He argues for a counter-ontology of love, emphasizing its presence, relational possibilities, and lived practices. The book ultimately suggests pathways toward political coalition and cultural affinity beyond historical differences.
Gayl Jones's "Corregidora" is a powerful novella exploring the intergenerational trauma of slavery and its impact on Black women. The story centers on Ursa, a contemporary Black woman haunted by the legacy of her ancestors. Jones masterfully weaves together themes of family, sexuality, and the enduring effects of historical violence. The novel's exploration of trauma and its relationship to identity is a key element of its analysis. "Corregidora" is considered a seminal work in Black feminist literature.
In 'Interior Chinatown,' Charles Yu tells the story of Willis Wu, who perceives himself as merely a 'Generic Asian Man' in his own life. Working as a bit player in the fictional police procedural 'Black and White,' Willis dreams of becoming 'Kung Fu Guy,' the most respected role available to someone of his appearance. The novel, written in the format of a screenplay, delves into themes of pop culture, assimilation, and immigration, while critiquing the pervasive stereotypes and racism faced by Asian Americans. As Willis stumbles into the spotlight, he discovers the secret history of Chinatown and the buried legacy of his own family, leading to a profound exploration of identity and the American dream[1][3][5].
Adrian Tomine's "Shortcomings" is a graphic novel exploring the complexities of relationships and identity among young adults in contemporary America. The story centers on Ben, a self-absorbed film student grappling with his romantic life and his feelings about race and culture. Tomine's distinctive art style and sharp writing create a poignant and often humorous portrayal of millennial anxieties and the challenges of self-discovery. The novel delves into themes of cultural identity, romantic relationships, and the complexities of navigating personal growth. It's a coming-of-age story that resonates with readers who have experienced similar struggles with self-awareness and identity.
Join me for a conversation with Dr. Seulghee Lee (Assistant Professor of African American Studies and English, University of South Carolina) about his recently published book, Other Lovings: An AfroAsian American Theory of Life (Ohio State UP, 2025). Some topics of our discussion include Adrian Tomine's graphic novel Shortcomings (2007), Gayl Jones' novella Corregidora (1975), and the cultural phenomenon of "Linsanity" and the lasting impact of NBA player Jeremy Lin's rise to fame.
In Other Lovings, Seulghee Lee traces the presence and plenitude of love embedded in Black and Asian American literatures and cultures to reveal their irreducible power to cohere minoritarian social life. Bringing together Black studies, Asian American studies, affect theory, critical theory, and queer of color critique, Lee examines the bonds of love in works by Amiri Baraka, Audre Lorde, David Henry Hwang, Gayl Jones, Fred Moten, Adrian Tomine, and Charles Yu. He attends to the ontological force of love in popular culture, investigating Asian American hip-hop and sport through readings of G Yamazawa, Year of the Ox, and Jeremy Lin, as well as in Black public culture through bell hooks, Martin Luther King Jr., and Cornel West. By assessing love’s positive function in these works, Lee argues against critical regimes, such as Afropessimism and racial melancholia, that center negativity. In revealing what Black and Asian American traditions share in their positive configurations of being and collectivity, and in their responses to the overarching logic of white supremacy, Other Lovings suggests possibilities for thinking beyond sociological opposition and historical difference and toward political coalition and cultural affinity. Ultimately, Other Lovings argues for a counter-ontology of love—its felt presence, its relational possibilities, and its lived practices.
This episode was hosted by Asia Adomanis, a PhD student in the Department of History of Art at Ohio State.
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