Hosted by the Humanities Center and visiting fellow, Esther Kim Lee. Dr. Lee will be here in person, but our event will be hybrid for you to attend either in person in CL 602 or via Zoom as you prefer.

The talk is based on the recently published book Made-Up Asians: Yellowface During the Exclusion Era, which traces the history of yellowface, the theatrical convention of non-Asian actors putting on makeup and costume to look East Asian. Using specific case studies from European and U.S. theater, race science, and early film, the book examines the development of yellowface in the U.S. context during the Exclusion Era (1862–1940), when Asians faced legal and cultural exclusion from immigration and citizenship. By examining the makeup technology of yellowface, the talk analyzes how theatre historians should rethink key foundational concepts and historical narratives.  It questions the dominance of mimesis in discussions of acting and racialize performances and argues for a broader conceptualization of theatre history.

Precirculated material for this colloquium will be available here about two weeks prior and up to the event.