What does localized Shakespeare studies mean? What are the merits and disadvantages of localized studies of a particular sujbect? Why does the Anglophone academia assume scholars located in Asia, or of Asian decent, regardless of their academic background, are versed Asian American studies or the study of Asian Shakespeare adaptations?
This paper tackles the unexamined assumption of the alignment of cultural identity and humanistic disciplines. One’s blood relations should not have any bearing on the scientific and intellectual inquiry into any particular culture.
Further, Shakespeare studies in non-Anglophone localities are often marked as “Asian studies of Shakespeare,” while Shakespeare studies remain unmarked in the US, UK, and Canada because these locations are assumed to be normative.