An Exploration of East Asian Americans in Film and Media: Renegotiating the Boundaries of Identity on Screen

In this thesis, we identify and analyze several chosen themes of Asian American identity that we feel are touched on in interesting ways within the body of films and media we’ve chosen to focus on. We do not argue that these themes are the most important for all Asian Americans, but we do believe that these themes reflect some of the commonly discussed questions of Asian American identity, particularly within the mainstream middle class. In one vein, these themes underline desires and longing present within Asian America and parallel competing notions of exclusion and integration: dreams of success, belonging, and connection.