This edited collection applies kinship as an analytical concept to better understand the affective economies, discursive practices, and aesthetic dimensions through which cultural narratives of belonging establish a sense of intimacy and affiliation. In North American and European ethnic literatures, kinship has several social functions: negotiating diasporic belonging in and outside of the perimeters of bloodlines and genealogy; positioning queer-feminist interventions to counter ethno-nationalist narratives of belonging; challenging liberal sentimentalist narratives, such as those grafted onto the bodies of transnational adoptees; re-formulating cultural heterogeneity through interracial and interethnic kinship constellations outside either post-racial assumptions about colorblindness or celebrations of racial and ethnic pluralism. In all of these cases, kinship features as a common theme through which contemporary authors attend to challenges of conscribing individuals into inclusive, counter-hegemonic cultural narratives of belonging.

Elvis Presley. Marilyn Monroe. LeBron James. They're all American, of course, but like many cultural figures who hail from the United States, they have names and faces known the world over. "ConFiguring America" brings together a series of incisive essays that analyze a wide range of such figures: those who embody America's tendency to produce celebrities and iconic personalities with global reach. Drawing on theoretical insights from a variety of fields--including cultural iconography, visual culture, star studies, and history--a diverse group of international contributors sheds light on how these figures and their media representations construct America's image beyond its borders. An important addition to an expanding field, "ConFiguring America" will deepen readers' understanding of celebrity, iconography, and their worldwide implications.