David Eng and the Wedding Banquet.

I think it's important not to be misled into binary thinking. old model=bad, new model=good; the concept of "oppression" is too "old school," identity politics are essentialist and thus may be easily dismissed, blah, blah, blah.

"Transnational capitol" and "third world labor" are much more than "silly old tropes."

In ethnic studies it's important to interrogate issues like oppression, power, citizenship, and male privilege. Yet, they are complex and deserving of more than a knee-jerk reaction

David Eng is drawing from Mark Chiang here, but he's saying that he finds Chiang's argument disturbingly convincing. That on the one hand, it's very easy to embrace the "queer multicultural millenial family" posed at the end of The Wedding Banquet, but that it would be a mistake to see Wai-Tung, Wei-Wei, and Simon as having equal access to choices, to power, et cetera.

The "marriage of convenience" that ends in love is prob'ly one of the top five romantic plots of all time. So the film is working within a [compulsory heterosexual] expectation that Wai-Tung and Wei-Wei will fall in love. That they come to another arrangement, that Wai-Tung and Simon are able to recommit to their relationship, and that they'll be forming a different kind of family is one of the great things about this film.

However, it's important to recognize what goes on on the other side of the "marriage of convenience" in the US nation-state. There are real people, like my friend Y, a lesbian of color who entered a green-card marriage. When she was raped by her legal "husband," she couldn't do anything about it. Yes she was "playing the system" but in that system she was especially vulnerable.

Wei-Wei, we may frankly and happily say, does not get raped by anyone. She initiates sex when she wants it. Additionally, the film goes out of its way to show Wai-Tung and Simon respecting her "right to choose."

Far from being perceived as daring for its time, The Wedding Banquet was widely criticized in the queer communities for being so "mainstream." For one thing, it's a story about gay men, but the only on-screen "sex" is between Wai-Tung and Wei-Wei. Simon and Wai-Tung try to have sex but are frustrated by the appearance of the family patriarch.

In terms of transnational capital: this does end up being relevant to the story. When we first meet Wai-Tung, we see him as financial successful. When his parents (Mama Gao and Baba Gao[the general[]) appear on the scene the father makes it clear that Wai-Tung's money for the building is HIS, money, his investment in his son, implying that there may be economic as well as personal consequences to Wai-Tung coming out.

An important argument that Eng is making has to do with Queer Diaspora. This is a whole field within Queer studies, American studies, and Ethnic studies. What role do queer identities play in decisions to emigrate? How do US immigration's amnesty laws exclude people persecuted on the basis of gender and sexuality?

One of the things about reading the whole article by David Eng is that he maps out the history of Asian American studies, why it developed the way it did, and how much who makes up "Asian America" has changed in the past forty years. He even takes Queer Nation seriously: although he criticizes its reliance on "nation" (which is how most scholars completely dismiss QN), he also recognizes that there were people of color who were extremely active in that organization, that it was neither all-white nor hegemonic, that it was an important site of contestation about queer identities.

All of the films that we're watching are "messy," and it's important to take criticisms such as Eng's seriously, instead of getting seduced into the "finally a happy ending" positioning. I remember arguing with a friend about The Amazing True-Life Adventures of Two Girls in Love and all the criticism about race and class that film. One thing question was raised was "why do lesbian films get held to a higher standard than mainstream films?"

The Wedding Banquet is a lot more complex than the American Express ad showing two white lesbians adopting an Asian baby, but that doesn't mean we should ignore what they have in common.

I didn't mean for this to turn into a lecture: I just think it's important that we not take off our "critical glasses" just because a film is fun or has a happy ending. I'm now going to avoid a long diatribe now about Ugly Betty and stereotypical portrayals of women of color, because I've already gone on longer than I intended to.

Wedding Banquet!!!

Just finished reading the article for this, and was very disturbed by its conclusion! I think it was Amy Richelin who wrote how history can be read from a feminist view in two ways; with women as repressed victims of patriarchy or with women as an active and intelligent constructor/director of their own (sub)culture. This article with its silly old tropes of 'third world labor' transnational capital' and 'subordinated third-world woman' is obviously on the victim reading.

Wei-Wei seems to be pretty actively pursuing her own agenda and taking advantage for her own ends, to paint her as a victim of international patriarchy/capital etc does her a great disservice. Taking the arguement that Wai-Tung wants to control her 'product' as first her landlord and later as her husband: he doesn't want, like, or care about her artworks and takes it only to justify letting her control him by not paying rent because she was in charge and he needed to feel some control. Later she is the one who coerces (with what can almost be considered date-rape) him and controls the outcome of her pregnancy but gives him the choice of 'becoming a man' by taking care of the baby and giving them a place to live. She is an active and powerful director of her own life and interjects herself into his life to get what she wants, and when she realizes that isn't going to happen she adapts and comes up with a new plan for a life she wants, a second choice but one more realistic to what she has come to find out is possible. All that under a traditional culture (both the Taiwan and USA cultures) that is seeking to deny her everything she wants.

Interestingly, the concept of 'space' is used a lot in the movie, and it occured to me later that SR Joshel's article 'The Body Female and The Body Politic: Livy's Lucretia and Verginia' speaks directly on this by saying that in most histories women are used to describe the territory in which men establish their social identity. (as Claude Levi-Strauss sez, "Women are good to think with.") That is, a woman will be 'penetrated' by a man and the outcome is his property and future, in history and myth that takes place in almost all 'founding' stories of people or civilizations, a woman or group of women are procured somehow and by the loss of their virginity the founding fathers acquire new honor and identity and a new city/race/people/nation come into being. In this movie, Wai-Tung penetrates Simon's space (living in his house) and Wei-Wei penetrates Wai-Tung's space (as non-rent paying tenant) and later Simon's space also (at Simon's request in his hopes of getting more control over Wai-Tung). So with that consideration, again Wei-Wei is the dominant and the one in ultimate control, using the patriarchal system to her benefit. So basically, the 'third-world woman' is strong, dominant, and in control of her destiny within the framework of a patriarchal system seeking to deny her all that control. Wei-Wei is the boss, she rocks!!!

Hahaha! I am so opinionated! That's what comes from studying classics and history from feministic teachers.

p.s. I just found the article mentioning the importance of 'reading resistance' and power into feminist history, it is by P.K. Joplin titled 'The Voice of The Shuttle is Ours' and is great to show the history of feminist voice from ancient Greece and Rome to Virginia Woolf! This article doesn't consider race/ethnicity or 'third-world' politics but the message and consideration is still relevant.

Porn?

One topic I didn't really get to was the language of porn in The Law of Remains.

What did you think of the "porn scenes" in the play?

Why are they there?

Notice that they're narrated differently: what's the effect of this?

I mean, if you were watching the play, and there were these explicit sex scenes acted out** it would be different than listening to them described in this way.

**When I gave the example from the other Abdoh play where two guys "simulated tender fucking" "very realistically" I only realized after-the-fact that what that meant was that they were actually fucking. I can be naive that way some times.

Her

I love that you all are talking about Her

One of the things I really like about the book is that it gives a broad spectrum of Black women's sexualities in an earlier Detroit.

A lot of the texts from the 1990s stigmatize bisexual characters for not being 100% gay/lesbian.

Her is really showing a range of black female sexuality, and Charlotte is a character who challenges any sort of "good=lesbian, bad=bisexual/straigth". She's not leaving King at the end of the novel to "become a real lesbian." She's a complicated woman with a complicated life, and she's holding on to all the parts of her.

I love Lizzie and Laphonya, and their complicated histories. And Laphonya all butched up for Girls Night In, singing down and dirty blues.

I love how on Girls Night In, all kindsa women get out and have themselves a good time.

Ricky/Wintergreen with her shadows and her ruined feet.

The irony of Charlotte and Ricky being right across the street from one another.

On the other side, of course, there's Monkey Dee, a bisexual-but-mostly-gay pimp who has a deep hatred for women. I don't really know what to do with him, but let Muhanji paint her whole picture, without it necessarily fitting anything I want it to do.

Reza Abdoh's The Law of Remains

Although our discussion on Friday helped me understand the play a tiny fraction, I am still somewhat lost. I do, however, appreciate Abdoh's endeavor to create a constructive, meaningful and expressive piece of work - regardless if I fully understand it or not. One aspect that intrigues me is his several references to popular culture at the time...giving those who are tuned in to the times a sort of "shorthand" or "secret insight" to what Abdoh is expressing, without actual explanations. Unfortunatly, those who might have been tuned out during this period or those whom are reading it now, those references might be lost (as it was with me), leading to a breakdown of that understanding. Yes, there are people out there disconnected with popular culture.

Her: A Novel

After reading the post on Her: A Novel, I figured I'd start a new section for us to discuss it.
I found the book mildly difficult to read, but I went with the flow of it and in the end, I did end up enjoying the read. Some thoughts:
1) It wasn't until about halfway through that I saw the book's relevence to the class; in other words, it was unclear to me up until then if there were any Queer characters. And it is subtly revealed at that. Charlotte relives the affair she had with Ricky in her mind...and it is only addressed a few more times by the end (the reconciliation between the two, in my understanding, is the central part of the book with them being the main actors in the story, whereas Sunshine/Kali serves as the catalyst). In one sense, this reminds me of the subtlty in My Beautiful Laundrette, where sexuality is not emphasised to the point where it overrides the storyline. And regards to Kali's makeover to "boy", I am not so sure she self-identified as a "boy" and therefore, I am not so sure she should be considered to be Queer (as suggested in the afterword).
2) Just to address the Sunshine/Kali confusion, Kali, in my mind, is an alter-ego or sub personality of the person known to us in the beginning as Sunshine. It is simply a mechanism for self-identification, away from the labels of "wife" or "girl" or "daughter-in-law", etc. Reclaimation of identity.

Butch Mystique!

Wow, great movie! This showed there IS some history out there; not a very complete, ancient, or well-documented history but a history. I really liked the showing of lesbian sexuality as women-women as opposed to the stereotype of penis envy!!! Testosterone Files was great to show that side of sexuality, but this movie and 'Watermelon Woman' together showed better the problems of race and gender and sexuality without adding bio-sex into the mix. Actually, the blend of masculine and feminine was intriguing and seemed more personal and real compared to other movies (like 'Some Reasons for Living' which was sort of bad), and an interesting observation was that what I find attractive made for either a cute girl or goofy-looking guy. Hmm, that can be a problem but might be best saved for a different class. Well I can honestly say I am not a femme, though I am beautiful and witty my underwear doesn't match.

Great, now I find the NEW blog icon

I posted this under the Gwen Araujo blog, but I just wanted to ask if anyone else was a bit confused by the play we are reading? I know about Jeffrey Dahmer, but it's a bit hard to follow as we read in class, despite how interesting and entertaining it was yesterday. Was this a movie as well, because the title sounds familiar, but maybe it was unrelated.

I was also wondering what is going on as far as the reading of "HER". Anyone? Anyone?

Community Award

Every year, the National Association of Chicana and Chicano Studies honors local community activists at each annual convention, to acknowledge the importance of social change to our academic endeavors, and to recommit ourselves to our communities.

At this year's conference in San Jose, California, NACCS gave an award to Sylvia Guerrero and (in memoriam) to her transgender daughter, the late Gwen Araujo.



Since the murder of Gwen Araujo in 2002, Sylvia Guerrero has done tremendous outreach, especially to bay area high schools, about the challenges faced and the rights owing to transgendered teens. Guerrero is being honored for her advocacy and for her work to pass AB 1160, which eliminated the "gay panic" defense
for assault and murder.

During the awards ceremony, Sylvia Guerrero noted that, although she has received many awards, this was the first time she has been acknowledged by a Latina/o organization. She spoke movingly of the need for Latinos, who value tradition and familia, to truly love, accept, and honor all of our children.

Guerrero's brother mentioned that his father had marched with César Chávez and instilled in his children a sense of pride in being Latino. He spoke about the long struggle of Latinos in the US, and the eagerness to work hard if it could make life better for our children. "We struggled for our lives then," he said, "We didn't think she would have to struggle for her life now." He told the audience that his niece Gwen was a proud Latina. And old-school Latinos need to learn to deal with it.

Sylvia Guerrero and her family received two standing ovations.

A new move for our class

OK, I'm moving class discussions out of iLearn and into the Blogosphere.

Why, you may ask?

Is it because you are all so exciting that I want to share you with the world.

Yes, of course.

Also, there's some limitations to working in iLearn. The main one is that everyone is limited in their self-presentation to the name that appears in the registrar records. I tried to get the techfolk to let us be more flexible and they were not that interested, so I figured rather than wringing my hands about it, we should liberate ourselves.

Second is that the forums have been okay for occasional postings, but they're disconnected. I thought a blog format would put all of our conversations together.

Finally, I want your input: should we open this blog to the world (so that anyone can read it) or keep it closed (so that only we can read it). Either way, I'm going to limit comments to our group only.