Asian diaspora poetry in North America / Benzi Zhang.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Zhang, Benzi.

Series:

Literary criticism and cultural theory

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

American poetry--Asian American authors--History and criticism.

American poetry.

Canadian poetry--Asian authors--History and criticism.

Canadian poetry.

Asian diaspora.

Asian Americans--Ethnic identity.

Asian Americans.

Group identity in literature.

Multiculturalism in literature.

Memory in literature.

Other (Philosophy) in literature.

Canadian poetry--Asian authors.

American poetry--Asian American authors.

Physical Description:

xvi, 177 pages ; 24 cm.

Place of Publication:

New York : Routledge, [2008]

Summary:

Presenting a new way of reading that helps us discern some previously unnoticed or unnoticeable features of Asian diaspora poetry, this volume highlights how poetry plays a significant role in mediating and defining cross-cultural and transnational positions. Asian diaspora poetry in North America is a rich body of poetic works that not only provide valuable material for us to understand the lives and experiences of Asian diasporas, but also present us with an opportunity to examine some of the most important issues in current literary and cultural studies. As a mode of writing across cultural and national borders, these poetic works challenge us to reconsider the assumptions and meanings of identity, nation, home, and place in a broad cross-cultural context. In recent postcolonial studies, diaspora has been conceived not only as a process of migration in which people crossed and traversed the borders of different countries, but also as a double relationship between different cultural origins. With all its complexity and ambiguity associated with the experience of multi-cultural mediation, diaspora, as both a process and a relationship, suggests an act of constant repositioning in confluent streams that accommodate to multiple cultural traditions. By examining how Asian diaspora poets maintain and represent their cultural differences in North America, Zhang is able to seek new perspectives for understanding and analyzing the intrinsic values of Asian cultures that survive and develop persistently in North American societies.

Contents:

Introduction: departure for a detour

The poetics of cultural transrelation: a diversion of identity

The politics of re-homing: negotiation of cultural dwellings

The problematics of translocal place: cultural passage beyond the border politics

Alter/native stories of memory and amnesia: a mnemonic inquiry

Against the grain of cultural exoticism: the other question

Styling diasporic carnival: performance of difference

Conclusion: journey without maps.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 157-171) and index.

ISBN:

9780415957175

0415957176

OCLC:

136780901

Online:

Publisher description