The Americas of Asian American Literature: Gendered Fictions of Nation and Transnation [NOOK Book]

Overview

Drawing on a wide array of literary, historical, and theoretical sources, Rachel Lee addresses current debates on the relationship among Asian American ethnic identity, national belonging, globalization, and gender. Lee argues that scholars have traditionally placed undue emphasis on ethnic-based political commitments--whether these are construed as national or global--in their readings of Asian American texts. This has constrained the intelligibility of stories that are focused less on ethnicity than on kinship,...

See more details below
The Americas of Asian American Literature: Gendered Fictions of Nation and Transnation

Available on NOOK devices and apps  
  • Nook Devices
  • NOOK HD/HD+ Tablet
  • NOOK
  • NOOK Color
  • NOOK Tablet
  • Tablet/Phone
  • NOOK for Windows 8 Tablet
  • NOOK for iOS
  • NOOK for Android
  • NOOK Kids for iPad
  • PC/Mac
  • NOOK for Windows 8
  • NOOK for PC
  • NOOK for Mac
  • NOOK Study
  • NOOK for Web

Want a NOOK? Explore Now

NOOK Book (eBook)
$17.57
BN.com price
(Save 45%)$31.95 List Price

Overview

Drawing on a wide array of literary, historical, and theoretical sources, Rachel Lee addresses current debates on the relationship among Asian American ethnic identity, national belonging, globalization, and gender. Lee argues that scholars have traditionally placed undue emphasis on ethnic-based political commitments--whether these are construed as national or global--in their readings of Asian American texts. This has constrained the intelligibility of stories that are focused less on ethnicity than on kinship, family dynamics, eroticism, and gender roles. In response, Lee makes a case for a reconceptualized Asian American criticism that centrally features gender and sexuality.

Through a critical analysis of select literary texts--novels by Carlos Bulosan, Gish Jen, Jessica Hagedorn, and Karen Yamashita--Lee probes the specific ways in which some Asian American authors have steered around ethnic themes with alternative tales circulating around gender and sexual identity. Lee makes it clear that what has been missing from current debates has been an analysis of the complex ways in which gender mediates questions of both national belonging and international migration. From anti-miscegenation legislation in the early twentieth century to poststructuralist theories of language to Third World feminist theory to critical studies of global cultural and economic flows, The Americas of Asian American Literature takes up pressing cultural and literary questions and points to a new direction in literary criticism.

Read More Show Less

Editorial Reviews

Signs
Lee is deeply invested in and concerned with the project of Asian-American feminism and argues convincingly that it must extend its scope beyond critiques of cultural nationalism. . . . Lee thus makes a valuable contribution to many areas of discussion—postcolonial studies, diaspora studies, and studies of global feminism—when she envisions a newly invigorated Asian-American feminist literary methodology that takes into account the changing significance and role of the nation-state in the new economic internationalism. . . . Lee's argument has far-reaching implications and points to exciting new avenues of inquiry.
— Grace Kyungwon Hong, Princeton University
Signs - Grace Kyungwon Hong
Lee is deeply invested in and concerned with the project of Asian-American feminism and argues convincingly that it must extend its scope beyond critiques of cultural nationalism. . . . Lee thus makes a valuable contribution to many areas of discussion—postcolonial studies, diaspora studies, and studies of global feminism—when she envisions a newly invigorated Asian-American feminist literary methodology that takes into account the changing significance and role of the nation-state in the new economic internationalism. . . . Lee's argument has far-reaching implications and points to exciting new avenues of inquiry.
Read More Show Less

Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9781400823208
  • Publisher: Princeton University Press
  • Publication date: 10/4/1999
  • Sold by: Barnes & Noble
  • Format: eBook
  • Pages: 208
  • File size: 484 KB

Table of Contents

Preface vii
INTRODUCTION 3
CHAPTER ONE Fraternal Devotions: Carlos Bulosan and the Sexual Politics of America 17
CHAPTER TWO Gish Jen and the Gendered Codes of Americanness 44
CHAPTER THREE Transversing Nationalism, Gender, and Sexuality in Jessica Hagedorn's Dogeaters 73
CHAPTER FOUR Global-Local Discourse and Gendered Screen Fictions in Karen Tei Yamashita's Through the Arc of the Rain Forest 106
CONCLUSION Asian American Feminist Literary Criticism on Multiple Terrains 139
APPENDIX ONE Number of Plots in Dogeaters 147
APPENDIX TWO Epigraphs and Other Quoted Material in Dogeaters 148
Notes 151
Works Cited 185
Index 199
Read More Show Less

Customer Reviews

Be the first to write a review
( 0 )
Rating Distribution

5 Star

(0)

4 Star

(0)

3 Star

(0)

2 Star

(0)

1 Star

(0)

Your Rating:

Your Name: Create a Pen Name or

Barnes & Noble.com Review Rules

Our reader reviews allow you to share your comments on titles you liked, or didn't, with others. By submitting an online review, you are representing to Barnes & Noble.com that all information contained in your review is original and accurate in all respects, and that the submission of such content by you and the posting of such content by Barnes & Noble.com does not and will not violate the rights of any third party. Please follow the rules below to help ensure that your review can be posted.

Reviews by Our Customers Under the Age of 13

We highly value and respect everyone's opinion concerning the titles we offer. However, we cannot allow persons under the age of 13 to have accounts at BN.com or to post customer reviews. Please see our Terms of Use for more details.

What to exclude from your review:

Please do not write about reviews, commentary, or information posted on the product page. If you see any errors in the information on the product page, please send us an email.

Reviews should not contain any of the following:

  • - HTML tags, profanity, obscenities, vulgarities, or comments that defame anyone
  • - Time-sensitive information such as tour dates, signings, lectures, etc.
  • - Single-word reviews. Other people will read your review to discover why you liked or didn't like the title. Be descriptive.
  • - Comments focusing on the author or that may ruin the ending for others
  • - Phone numbers, addresses, URLs
  • - Pricing and availability information or alternative ordering information
  • - Advertisements or commercial solicitation

Reminder:

  • - By submitting a review, you grant to Barnes & Noble.com and its sublicensees the royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable right and license to use the review in accordance with the Barnes & Noble.com Terms of Use.
  • - Barnes & Noble.com reserves the right not to post any review -- particularly those that do not follow the terms and conditions of these Rules. Barnes & Noble.com also reserves the right to remove any review at any time without notice.
  • - See Terms of Use for other conditions and disclaimers.
Search for Products You'd Like to Recommend

Recommend other products that relate to your review. Just search for them below and share!

Create a Pen Name

Your Pen Name is your unique identity on BN.com. It will appear on the reviews you write and other website activities. Your Pen Name cannot be edited, changed or deleted once submitted.

 
Your Pen Name can be any combination of alphanumeric characters (plus - and _), and must be at least two characters long.

Continue Anonymously

    If you find inappropriate content, please report it to Barnes & Noble
    Why is this product inappropriate?
    Comments (optional)