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The article explores the consequences of the absence of academic institutions for research and teaching on Asians in Canada by reframing the lack of Asian Canadian Studies as a problem of lateness. It defines lateness in two types, the first describes how academic institutions have been late to respond to the contemporary Canadian society, while the second derives from the critique of identity politics that defers any disclosure between identitarian categories and the communities to which they supposedly refer. It suggests that addressing the problem of lateness is critical to understanding the relationship between Asian Canadian Studies and Asian American Studies.

The article explores the internationalization of Asian American cultural criticism and its relevance on Asian Canadian studies. It cites two events, which took place in 1980's and 1990's, that can be used to discern how Asian American studies has taken an international turn. The first event involves the redefinition and reconstruction of Asian American studies by placing Asian Americans within the global context. While the second event involves the "East of California" movement that attempts to identify, critique, and intervene in the California-centric nature of scholarship and curricula for Asian American studies.