Talk: *After Yang*: AI as Asian American Memory and Identity Formation (MLA 2026)

Academic conference panel. Presenter reading at podium. Two persons behind the front table. Screen behind w/ collage of still images from film — L to R: Robert Nguyen (Lycoming College), Shebati Sengupta (U of New Mexico, Albuquerque), Tianyi Shou (U of Michigan, Ann Arbor). Photo by Claire Rodan (University of Maryland, Global Mandarin Academy).

In January, I had the opportunity to participate in the Asian American Forum’s "Quantum Narratives: AI and Multiverse in Asian American Literature and Film" panel at the Modern Language Association convention. The paper is adapted from an article I’m developing on the film After Yang. Below is a recording I made in PowerPoint as part of my preparation for the event, and further below is the transcript of the talk. Please feel free to contact me if you have any comments, questions, or thoughts. I’m happy to talk more about this topic, particularly as I revise the article and prepare to submit it to a journal in the coming months.

Original presentation: January 11, 2026 as part of the Asian American Forum's "Quantum Narratives: AI and Multiverse in Asian American Literature and Film" panel at the Modern Language Association convention.

YouTube version recorded separately (January 8, 2026)

Script (.DOCX)

Slides (.PPTX)

Bibliography

Kogonada, dir. _After Yang_. A24, Showtime, 2022.

Marlin-Bennett, Renée, and Marieke Wilson. “Commodified Cadavers and the Political Economy of the Spectacle.” _International Political Sociology_ 4 (2010): 159–77.

McKee, Kimberly. “Chinese Commodities: Adoption in After Yang.” In _Techno-Orientalism 2. 0: New Intersections and Interventions_, 1st ed, edited by David S. Roh, Betsy Huang, Greta Aiyu Niu, and Christopher T. Fan. Asian American Studies Today Series. Rutgers University Press, 2025.

Scott, Ridley, dir. _Blade Runner: The Final Cut_. Warner Bros., 2007.

Tabares, Leland. “Working Futures after Asians: Automation, AI, and the Global Labor Economy.” In _Techno-Orientalism 2. 0: New Intersections and Interventions_, 1st ed, edited by David S. Roh, Betsy Huang, Greta Aiyu Niu, and Christopher T. Fan. Asian American Studies Today Series. Rutgers University Press, 2025.

Webster, Andrew. “Creating the Warm and Cozy Sci-Fi Future of After Yang.” The Verge, December 23, 2022. [https://www.theverge.com/2022/12/23/23516723/after-yang-sci-fi-design-interview-alexandra-schaller](https://www.theverge.com/2022/12/23/23516723/after-yang-sci-fi-design-interview-alexandra-schaller).

Zap, Claudine. “Fresh Off a Starring Role, a Rare New York Eichler Is Up for Sale.” Realtor.com. October 25, 2019. [https://www.realtor.com/news/unique-homes/rent-or-buy-rare-east-coast-eichler/](https://www.realtor.com/news/unique-homes/rent-or-buy-rare-east-coast-eichler/).