Sunny Yang

Sunny Yang is an Assistant Professor in the Department of English at the University of Houston, specializing in multiethnic American literature of the long nineteenth century, with a focus on Asian American and African American writing. Her research examines intersections of race, geography, and U.S. empire. She holds a Ph.D. in English from the University of Pennsylvania and a B.A. in Sociology & Anthropology from Swarthmore College.

Education:

• Ph.D., English, University of Pennsylvania (with certificate in Africana Studies)
• B.A., Sociology & Anthropology, Swarthmore College

Research Interests: Yang’s work bridges American and ethnic American literature with critical race theory, law, and transnational studies. Her current book project, Fictions of Territoriality: Legal and Literary Narratives of Race, Geography, and U.S. Empire, explores how legal and literary texts shaped racial and imperial geographies. Recent publications analyze Afro-Vietnamese intersections in Yusef Komunyakaa’s work and white labor narratives in Panama Canal Zone literature.

Awards and Grants:

• ACLS Faculty Fellowship (2019)
• AAUW Postdoctoral Fellowship (2018)
• Mellon/ACLS Dissertation Fellowship (2014)

Teaching and Service: Yang teaches courses including Asian American Literature, African American Literature and the Law, and introductory literary studies. Her pedagogy emphasizes critical engagement with race, empire, and transnational frameworks.