The Problematics of Kingston's "Cultural Translation": A Chinese Diasporic View of The Woman Warrior
Keywords:
Maxine Hong Kingston, The Woman Warrior, diaspora, cultural translation, postcolonial theoryAbstract
This article examines Maxine Hong Kingston’s The Woman Warrior from a diasporic Chinese perspective. It argues that Kingston’s cultural translation of Chinese identity within American contexts reproduces Western ambivalence toward Asian cultures, characterized by both attraction and derision. By shifting the focus from minority identity within the United States to the global dispersion of Chinese communities, the study challenges assimilationist narratives. It engages with earlier critiques, particularly those of Frank Chin, while emphasizing the dynamics of cultural translation. The article highlights the fluidity of identity and the tensions between preserving cultural difference and adapting to dominant norms, thereby expanding the scope of Asian American studies through a transnational and postcolonial framework.
(The abstract and keywords were prepared retrospectively for indexing purposes using AI-assisted tools and editorial review, based on the original article. They did not appear in the original publication.)
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