Asian American literature has undergone dramatic changes since it emerged as a distinctive field in the wake of the civil rights movement in the late 1960s.

• 20世纪60年代以美国黑人为主的民权运动在美国国内风起云涌，唤醒了美国亚裔群体对自身权利与身份的思考，推动了美国亚裔文学创作的繁荣，也引起了学术界对亚裔文学的关注和兴趣。