China doll, dragon lady, tiger mother: we are all too familiar with the stereotypes of Asian women across American culture. Such images receive new and thought-provoking reconsideration in Princeton professor Anne Anlin Cheng’s book Ornamentalism. In this groundbreaking work, Cheng explores the unexpected political possibilities generated by these tropes, drawing on references ranging from 19th-century legal cases to contemporary films like Ghost in the Shell in order to create a compelling argument about how the portrayal of Asian women as non-persons has been surprisingly central to Western ideas of personhood. At CHF, Cheng’s revelations will encourage you to expand your perceptions of American conceptions of race, gender, and identity.

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