simplistic interpretation of a very limited number of works. The claims I will make in
the following are all based on my personal observations of the works in question.
Since this is supposed to be a rather brief term paper, I will not be able to prevent myself
from essentializing the people I talk about. When I speak of Americans or whites, I do
not, at any rate, mean everyone living in America whose skin is white but everyone who
has bought into the media’s portrayal of Chinese Americans and the stereotypes existing
in America, in other words, everyone believing in a white supremacist ideology. Likewise,
when I speak of Chinese Americans, I do not mean all Chinese Americans reunited but a
certain part of the Chinese American population who will react in the way I describe. All
this does not take into consideration the more and more complex composition of
Chinese America.
Some of what I will claim applies to other minorities, as well, especially to other groups
of Asian heritage that have united with Chinese Americans under the umbrella term
“Asian Americans.” This term, coined by the late Japanese American scholar Yuji
Ichioka, homogenizes various groups of different Asian descent and does not take into
account their respective historical, cultural, political or other background. They have
united in order to fight for certain clearly defined political issues that concern all of
them, such as anti-Asian violence, racism, etc. White supremacists are probably
unaware of this political coalition anyways, due to their racist view that all Asians are
alike.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- PREFACE
- I INTRODUCTION
- I A Definitions
- 1. Stereotypes
- 2. Identity
- 3. American Mass Media
- I B Theoretical approaches
- 1. Frank Chin and Jeffrey Paul Chan: Racist Love
- 2. Frank Chin: Come All Ye Asian American Writers of the Real and the Fake
- I A Definitions
- II MAIN PART
- II A The Portrayal of Chinese Culture in American Movies
- 1. Lost Horizon (1937)
- a Content
- b Historical Background
- c Observations
- i The Confirmation of Stereotypes
- ii Racist Love and Racist Hate
- iii The Perpetuation of Miscegenation
- iv Sexism
- d The Construction of Chinese American Identity
- i White Supremacist Definition
- ii Chinese American Definition
- e Summary
- 2. Mulan
- a Content
- i The Children's Book
- ii The Disney Movie
- b Observations
- i The Confirmation of Stereotypes
- ii Racist Hate
- iii Sexism
- iv Linguistic and Cultural Imperialism
- c The Construction of Chinese American Identity
- i White Supremacist Definition
- ii Chinese American Definition
- d Summary
- a Content
- 3. Summary
- 1. Lost Horizon (1937)
- II B The Self-Projection of Chinese Americans in Contemporary Novels
- 1. Frank Chin: Donald Duk (1991)
- a Frank Chin
- b Content
- c Observations
- i Fake Customs and Culture of Chinese Americans
- ii Real Customs and Culture of Chinese Americans
- iii From an Identity of Either-Or to an Identity of Both-And
- (1) Fake Chinese American Identity
- (a) Donald Duk = 100 % American
- (b) Donald Duk = 100% Chinese
- (2) Real Chinese American Identity
- (1) Fake Chinese American Identity
- d The Construction of Chinese American Identity
- i White Supremacist Definition
- ii Chinese American Definition
- e Summary
- 2. Fae Myenne Ng: Bone (1993)
- a Fae Myenne Ng
- b Content
- c Observations
- i Different Forms of Chinese American Identities Due to a Life Between Two Worlds
- d The Construction of Chinese American Identity
- i White Supremacist Definition
- ii Chinese American Definition
- e Summary
- 3. Summary
- 1. Frank Chin: Donald Duk (1991)
- II A The Portrayal of Chinese Culture in American Movies
- III CONCLUSION
- III A Final Remarks and Open Questions
- 1. Lost Horizon
- a A Social Commentary on White America
- b A Comment on Imperialism
- c A Warning
- 2. Mulan
- a A Correct Image of Ancient China
- b A Lesson For Whites
- c A Reevaluation of Chinese Americans and a Positive Outlook
- 1. Lost Horizon
- III A Final Remarks and Open Questions
- IV WORKS CITED
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This paper aims to analyze how stereotypes of Chinese Americans are perpetuated in the American mass media. The work focuses on how these stereotypes influence the construction of Chinese American identity, both as defined by the white majority and by Chinese Americans themselves. Key themes explored include: * The role of mass media, particularly Hollywood movies and television, in perpetuating stereotypes of Chinese Americans. * The concept of "racist love" and "racist hate" as mechanisms used by white society to control and define Asian Americans. * The impact of these stereotypes on the development of Chinese American identity, leading to self-definition based on often-negative portrayals. * The emergence of contemporary literature by Chinese American authors as a means of challenging these stereotypes and offering a more nuanced understanding of Chinese American identity.Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
The paper begins by defining key terms, including stereotypes, identity, and American mass media. It then introduces two theoretical approaches: Racist Love by Frank Chin and Jeffrey Paul Chan, and Come All Ye Asian American Writers of the Real and the Fake by Frank Chin. These approaches provide a framework for understanding how racist stereotypes function in American society. The main part of the paper analyzes the portrayal of Chinese culture in two American movies: Lost Horizon (1937) and Mulan. The author examines how these movies reinforce racist stereotypes about Chinese Americans, specifically highlighting the themes of racist love, racist hate, sexism, and the perpetuation of miscegenation. It further analyzes how these movies contribute to the construction of Chinese American identity by both white supremacists and Chinese Americans themselves. Following the analysis of the movies, the paper moves on to explore the self-projection of Chinese Americans in contemporary novels. It focuses on two works: Donald Duk (1991) by Frank Chin and Bone (1993) by Fae Myenne Ng. The analysis examines how these novels challenge the stereotypes presented in the movies and offer a more complex and multifaceted understanding of Chinese American identity. The author explores the concept of both-and identity, suggesting that Chinese Americans can embrace both their Chinese heritage and their American experience.Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
This paper focuses on the complex relationship between stereotypes, identity, and the American mass media as they relate to the Chinese American experience. The key terms and concepts explored include: stereotypes, identity, American mass media, racist love, racist hate, Chinese American identity, white supremacist ideology, contemporary literature, and the concept of either-or vs. both-and identity.- Citation du texte
- B.A. Stephanie Wössner (Auteur), 2004, Film, Literature and Chinese American Identity, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/138123
