Chris A. Eng

Chris A. Eng is an Assistant Professor of English at Washington University in St. Louis, with an affiliate appointment in the Performing Arts Department. His work bridges Asian American studies and queer of color critique, focusing on how literature and performance reframe narratives of national belonging, historical injury, and social justice. Eng holds a PhD from the CUNY Graduate Center, alongside MA and BA degrees from CUNY institutions.

• Education: PhD & MA (The Graduate Center, CUNY); BA (Hunter College/W.E. Macaulay Honors College)

His research explores the intersections of camp aesthetics and Asian American history, as seen in his forthcoming monograph Extravagant Camp: The Queer Abjection of Asian America (NYU Press, 2025), which examines camp performances that contest racialized narratives. Eng’s work has been recognized with the 2023 CLAGS Fellowship and the 2023 Early Career Achievement Award from the Association for Asian American Studies.

He teaches courses such as “Queer Youth” and “Gender & Sexuality in Asian American Literature,” and his scholarship has appeared in American Quarterly, GLQ, and Journal of Asian American Studies. Eng also co-edited the Lateral forum on “Alternative Humanities.”

• Awards: CLAGS Fellowship (2023), ASA Early Career Award (2023), WashU Mentorship Award

Eng’s current projects include White Gay Fantasies: A Queer Romance for the Asiatic Presence, exploring how Asiatic imagery underpins white LGBTQ narratives. He serves on committees for the ASA and MLA, and previously held postdoctoral roles at UIUC and Syracuse University.