This panel examines the formation of Asian German subjectivities and invites a transnational dialogue with Asian Americanists on how to engage in comparative and relational analyses of Asian diasporization and racialization. Each paper takes up a pivotal moment that has shaped how specific Asian German communities come to understand their social-political position in Germany, including the Korean migrants who fought against discrimination in the 1960s, the two landmark cases of anti-Vietnamese violence that sparked a struggle for inclusive memory politics, and the global expansion of social media that has facilitated transnational communication, networking, and shared spaces for cultural representation, knowledge production, and community building.

Bringing these examples to bear, the panel seeks to expand the scope of Asian Diaspora Studies to include Europe. Keenly aware of the intellectual hazards of engaging with US-centered approaches, we are, on the one hand, inspired by the development of AAAS and the Asian American Movement that helped found this field, and, on the other, critical of the hegemonic potential for US scholars to dominate and usurp our work. With excitement and trepidation, we enter this discussion with the hope of exploring and developing a common ground on how to study geographically dispersed Asian Diasporas and their multilayered and dynamic relationships within a transnational context. Cultivating a transatlantic exchange among scholars who work in the emerging field of Asian German Studies and who are situated at different sides of the big pond or West lake, if you prefer, we offer an opportunity for critical, trans-regional, and interdisciplinary engagement.