8/14/2019 The Things We Share- Ethnic Performativity and 'Whatever Being'.pdf http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-things-we-share-ethnic-performativity-and-whatever-beingpdf 1/13 The Things We Share: Enic Pmit a " Ben'' KARE SHIMAKAA Universit of Califonia, Davs n Php Kn Gnd' h Wd r My (n dpo of Hnk bn' Hdd Gblr. Eko/Hdd nd h ply nd h lfe y o- ng sepuku. Jpn!e rl d by dggr o h nkno h long wod o he g o ofn poryd n popl We� rprnon h ho properly reerved for n l of en Eko ponedy lre n n erler n B fr ore rdl hn he hg n wpony Gond ' pn of h Eko d n nd enr fll vw of h d1n f no her drd ly nd frnd). nlk he qerd Hedd• owh rpng ho for Eko, who h fd nder hr hbnd\ nd nlw xpon of her hn do who dnd off whn hr ornl hbnd o h green e who lk lnng o Hendrx fl O (h o h nnoyn o her pop lovng hbnd In ho, ko nher hn doll nor CoCo Sn h fbled dl Berfy'' heype of n (epy Jpn fnny rnporngy ro nd bfl n h deh drvn devoon o h h hbnd nd hd I on n hn, hr on of r dfn he ory ovr he r onron o orn f- nny no whh h py h orld dpd n Brkly ), nd plly he ohr hr p o npll hr You want e a ral Jaan wman? n efe h n h h yu a rl Jaan1e [ n] wman� nd y h fn db ov Hdd lbrory nd per here wll: how voro' n lfnnhlon b? Wh do n o y h h wy on wn h gndeng/lzon g o op o by klng onlf? nd do o n h o ply orn wy pobl Eko' dh, wold gg, dr h vxd ondon of ·ehn pr- forn for n P ern Cgh bwn h (ponlly lf nelng pr r of xo/orel on he on hnd nd rre/ nvbly on h oher n Pl n hr hv h dl k of rvng o p n whh o erfor n n f Amicann
Transcript
8/14/2019 The Things We Share- Ethnic Performativity and 'Whatever Being'.pdf
n Php Kn Gnd' h Wd r My (n dpo of Hnkbn' Hdd Gblr. Eko/Hdd nd h ply nd h lfe y o-ng sepuku. Jpn!e rl d by dggr o h nkno h long wodo he g o ofn poryd n popl We� rprnon h hoproperly reerved for n l of en Eko ponedy lre n n erlern B fr ore rdl hn he hg n wpony Gond ' pnof h Eko d n nd enr fll vw of h d1n f no herdrd ly nd frnd). nlk he qerd Hedd• owhrpng ho for Eko, who h fd nder hr hbnd\ nd nlwxpon of her hn do who dnd off whn hr ornl
hbnd o h green e who lk lnng o Hendrx fl O (ho h nnoyn o her pop lovng hbnd In ho, ko nher hn doll nor CoCo Sn h fbled dl Berfy'' heype of n(epy Jpn fnny rnporngy ro nd bfl n h dehdrvn devoon o h h hbnd nd hd I on n hn, hr on of r dfn he ory ovr he r onron o orn f-nny no whh h py h orld dpd n Brkly ), ndplly he ohr hr p o npll hr You want e a ralJaan wman? n efe h n h h yu a rl Jaan1e [
n] wman�nd y h fn db ov Hdd lbrory nd per here
wll: how voro' n lfnnhlon b? Wh do n o yh h wy on wn h gndeng/lzon g o op o byklng onlf? nd do o n h o ply orn wy poblEko' dh, wold gg, dr h vxd ondon of ·ehn pr-forn for n P ern Cgh bwn h (ponlly lfnelng pr r of xo/orel on he on hnd nd rre/nvbly on h oher n Pl n hr hv h dlk of rvng o p n whh o erfor n n f Amicann
8/14/2019 The Things We Share- Ethnic Performativity and 'Whatever Being'.pdf
tht often too ecn· o egste s rcly or ehnclly dstinct nd/ort "Asian to be leg1ble Amecn
Ths dlemma is. o coure smply reecton o the lger prdo poedby muticuturlism" as nationl oig myth. A Anne Ann Cheng h ob-erved vhle rc1a nd sc1l ntegrtion ofer he preeminent Amecn so-a I myth ssimilation remin one of the deepest sources of nxety in the
American psyche (Cheng 21 7). Whle Cheng\ excellent study maps the
psychic effect o racilzton both on nd by Aan Pacifc Americns, I wanto conider the pardox of Amercan mcuturalim fm lightly differentperpecte: ho m1gh we mae ene it a an eectproducton of nondenty tel?
Ele her Ive uggeted that An Pci Amercanness n mnstremrepreenaton i n effect of "nation bjection he production of naondentty a' rced/gendered phantsidea) through the designation oftht wh1ch deemed "abJect/notAmericn Shmkaw 2002. uli Kite adeines abeton as both tate nd rocethe conditio/ion o thtwhch deemed lothome nd the proe by which tht pprs is mdend deem abect nd bjection [as . the pmer� o m culture" Kristev8 It for her, the mes by which the subect!" produced by etb-lihng perceptual nd conceptul borders around the e nd ettsonng]
hat wh1ch i deemed obectionble the ubjec comes nto (nd mainan ) selconMioun h abjt Kitea ass, i ctud of that wih i, at afoundtonal eve ntegral to the whole; wh fuel the ongong project of
abjecon i he dre to expel (and thereby dferentite from) tht which onsome leve cnnot be fuly or decsvey expeled The abject i s mpotan to
note, does no cheve sbe sttu of he term oten ued to de-scrbe the positon of rcially or sexaly disenfranchised groups n nlyseso the poic of repreenton Read as bject A'n Pcic Americanness
t occupe a role both necess to nd mutully conttuve of nonubec formton does no reul in e formaon of an Aian Pac
Amen bje, or e1 en an Aswn Pai Amerian hje. Rather I depoythe dicourse of abction in de�cibing Asian Americn peromnce becuse(as in Kte\ formution) "there i othng objecte or objec to the b ect It is s1mpy fronter" (9). h chcees Asan Pacific Amecnnes t comes into vsbit I woud rge, s t constntlyshitng relton toU.S Ameicannes a moemen between isb1lty and nvibilty, foregnnesnd dometcatonasimilaton s tht movmn hn enacted by nd upon
Asan Pacifc Amercns th ms he boundres of Asn Americn culturlnd ometmes legal citzenshp In order for U.S Amrcannes to mnn
8/14/2019 The Things We Share- Ethnic Performativity and 'Whatever Being'.pdf
n relatin and as a prduc f US Americannetha i a ccupying heeemingly cntradictry, yet funcinay es entia I. pstin f a cn ituent e
emen/ign f American muticuturalim and radical ther/freignerGven thi catin t i diicut to mage a unied repnse r direct reacin and indeed Asian Paciic American theatre ais have prducedmaterial that i correspndingly vared From "Chinaman rank Chins call fran Asan Pacic American theare tha would depic real" A ian Americanand auhentic" Asian immigrant cues/practice/myhogie and herebydisprve the grteue Charie Chan tereoype prevaent n popular meda(Chin 199 Pan Aian Repeory foundng Arisic Director Tisa Chang
viin f an Aian American theare in which an Asian Amercan coud play
a lanche Dubi Chang 1994, Aian Paclc American theatre aists ftennd hem e having t ae their (auhentic diference and their (American samene; at the sam tim
ower, neither of these sraegies manages o escape the lgic fabjectin altgeher the in istence on auhentic Aan (American culturalrepreentatin the aLtempt t present ur" culture/hitrie a a crecive t
teretypicalrientalit repre entain) i a reactn t an (unju r incect)asignment f abjec status an as ertn f ur Amecannes (he we ae ju ike ther Amercans apprach) is fueled by a desire t identify with thedeject manream) naiona ubec rther than he excuded abjec Is i psible conceive a strategy hat shcircuiL he naona abecon prcessaltgeher In her wrd, is here a ay recgnie he tenins inherent inthe prject of peforming ehnicy tha does nt rey mplicly n the integry o a (raced natonal subject
Girgi Agambens "whatever being" ffer a pible aernaive way t cnceive f (cmunal) ubjecivity tha de nt depend n sable plitca den
ity caegrie fr it integrity, wihu reuiring ne t dispense with categiatgether Unlke the cmmn Englis parsng f l'at Agamben's u e fhe term i differently nuanced hatever being] is nt being i des nmaer which. but rather being such tha i always matters" A gamben 1993
I3 The impule t include/be included is retained thugh nt s.igned t amu r table grund f inclusin: "suchandsuch beg is reclaimed
from it� havng th r hat prpery which identies it a belnging t hi rthat set, t thi r that class (the red he French, he Mlimsnd t i re-claimed n for anther cass nr fr the simple generic absence f any belng-
ing but fr its being fr belnging itel ( -2 emphai in rgnal)Bengng telf. accrdng t Agambn, s a ate of beng hat acknwedge
8/14/2019 The Things We Share- Ethnic Performativity and 'Whatever Being'.pdf
wn o gue h he conngency, inrciviy nd emboddne o f-m enbe o egoie h ppre impe by kng: wh would
men or ubjec who i mrked mgin/bjec o m uch n eveno n oide
n 1990 New Yorkbed here ri g hong begn wok on wh woudbecome erie o linked work· collecively led Et Qu (hong990-999 Ech pece ocued on he inercion beween n An counry(pn in Dhm [ 1990], hin in Chn [ 995] Vienm n j - 997 nd Norh d oh oe Pja [ 1999 n he We (brodlynd cricly conrued The py, r poeic documen, per hong'
gng noe in Dhim, e meiio on ehnic idenicion hey hveemeged ove me nd pce nd in dieen wy ech pece boh coimnd debilie hoe 1dniicoy rcc. e here I hve exminedDh nd Chn01 1 em o rnnondipoc concer heiee ih dcoue o nionlrclion (himkw 202 Bohe elivey gobl in geopoicl cope nd operic in cle or pupoe ohi peci iue ho eve wold ike o u o nohe incdenl ecion ohe Qt or me ocued, moe iime. nd rgubly more dic e i-on o he elionhip( beween ehnic ideniy nd perormnce.
"986: A onvegence 10 I Mine. i one componen o n evening-lengh pogrm h Aer orrow cmied A coloron wh dncechoreogpher Mn Teng nd compoe/ond deigner Joe <ung 986
w conceived (lgely nonnrrive movemen pece wh voceoverby hong nd Teng in which hey um on hei ckgrond� commonl-ie nd dierece nd he nure o live perormnce, puncued by vriedverio o he e, he hing hey hre/ he ul myey o OherThe poken ex povde he pimry " ou dta. while eng dnce bore
ee o poeced mge o he ein ex r glih, le in hee.here i much o be 1d bou Teng movemen coe oh in iel nd nelion o he poke ex; howeve. I wn o begin by ocuing on he pokenex or how poin he udinc i vewing o eng (ehilymkeddning body
In cein pec 986 could e ndeood ·convegence ohiee Amecnne evel p in h ex hong nd eng po ouhe wy hich hei experience o ehniciy immgrn oig culinrypeerence mrirchl mily uce kingly imlr Depie he
c h hey cme ogeher o work on h pece wh very lile oeknowledgeo ech ohe, hey nd hey hve g del commo y ue o heir
8/14/2019 The Things We Share- Ethnic Performativity and 'Whatever Being'.pdf
A th pnt th txt susts tht h thy h muh lss (thnlly) sp Eys, rs ns, mth/ h blty t bh bth/ Yu
n. th ns Chn nnts shd pn f mbodimn st tht uld f ed s plen tndnt hmnst unsltunds f dntn s wht thn lzed denty by whhn udn nht be empd t nthse w sts Hw t pssbl fChn nd sn m btwn hs tw smnly ntdty) undsf nn' Pehps w n w 86 s Chn's nd sen's mpt t up Ambn hllen wy pln f bth he peses ndh lmtns d by ne f dentfty ps, s wel s wht tmht b lk ne beynd sh dnttes wtht hn t snd the
psblty hn th dntftns ltth)As ntd b, ts brds 986 mh b n ssn f mmn
(hmn) bdly snn ppsb thmbs 4 dts Chn n ,wm th th / ntnt emptu 986 F lzd sbs,hw n wht sns s nn/dnttn bsd n uh nnllymd) ftus mnnul os dtn th lwst mmn d-nmt physl snsnbdly xpn bt 'o fm thntnts f sclly nstud ees lk /thnty qy Od 1 mply wk t blt th dffn tht s nnnrmte hn dentty n f f n (nmd) hemn nm Ftntly w nt fdt hs btwn ths w tms f th nds f mmn dntn psd s wl Bth n sts fmll lss (n bth'sdth fm AD nh bh wy t brth nd f th shs sl n rt s u fm pn Anh pt nn hn slntst: bth h hsen tpmnc t n ptl h tn\ nd mes
H mst pmnently ( lst n tm f h sp/m dtd
t t) t s th d ( t lst jxsd lnhp t Chnesnss/Ch-n Amnnss h n thrht h txt, nd ht nsttutes snfnt pnt f dntfn f th t rtts Ely n h p Chnbss,
Sh i' Cme� (tl d CineH lpo/ i C.\)H 1s Cs (te d Cm£SI ske m Ce1Popl o Cta Kgo [k m Cm
In ahr ag m ath laguag
hy �ld hav :h fl r atay
o Ia cn hn
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i eic/acialized idefao is fuer deeloped o a aredomac memy A familiary d saled s Cg cues
l ra� �g pg,
r hp pt.
seamg o o \1
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ly. nily p i p
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wit i
Te e fcus ifs aay rm sared expeeces eciy/cure ba oe ager frame f embdime: Neur oe ousad bi f em ciy eemerge a a possble p coergece e ey u o eirrecllecios of eir mers bu ee e egy of a ji is pblemaized:frs seg recou y moer as pa e I geerai me admi-ed S J Uersiy Sagai Se majored gi lieraue y mer drilled me i Word or Coleridge Seey, ad a se er1 ceuy mis
' Cog' Ciesees, eer, cme ia a ery di
ee maeal ieage ·'y moer jied e Cee Opera e se as 13
yea ld e e us e coul read r r s se leaed e libreo byre '' ese sories f amilia igis, eer coege aga ecalg ergramoer Tseg elaes · er 7t iday se ad a ge aque rr e We ad er e se s ery pd ad erec rippig
jade a iamds a re A ya efre my me 81' bdayCg e e us ·e auced my siser a se aed e aeo baqueWe e augus day came e a ko o er a se sa
ery proud ad erec e mariarc o marircs drippg jade ad gold o aoe
y bee aligg e e saemes ere is o make e casea Cieseess or Cese Americaes is e o ·coegece e piece or a eicy emerges as e uimae r bes mea\ure f Cgad Teg's cmmoaiy A e same ime suc exeded paralles i e exmake i diicul igore e peraio eiciy i s explora of saredorig/deies/experieces Raer I a !ugges a i bo afrmig and desabzg e caegy of Cesees
(ad by eeio Ciese
Americaess rug e piee epog Ciese Aicaess doer pssble axes ideaio 86 re e logic of a uersais/
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O h � hg g mag maa h hrhl1 (rhr ha r h hg� h har a hr uvral g ar muh] r a [g• /Sh h hrughhr mula f h fra. Alhugh ra ( m hrugh-u rug bw a vr aa, fm var m - aar a hr m h hr wh bh aarghr h rr whh h ar wh ba h h hgh har aar a mr rqul bu h a a ra -l bh am h x f h a h xf h flllgh rgam whh w u, h fll m aOh vk a amla al ur h a A a mru
a hm a x. Wh r gh wh h r v-a f mla x f h Amra h rr v u fr h wh hg a Tg ha h x f hrg/mra/abj rm ma ru Amr bru f hr x a a rur mr auh ug fwha h ma ulur m a m mu/hr
Bu l argu h x l lf hr ra whah h a wll. m hr h m h1m . . fr h m uwha wul bm h1 rfrma h l u. rvalg h hr a
gsg r ma mla a hg ll u h ar "2 lwh brl kw ah h Th full mr f a Ohr h ma rfr h mr ah h fr h h a vul agr Thr 1vr fuh mg baa mmal (a f mfa a r muh w gfa wh h va. Ur hum, mgh a gag xma h M mm -r f mb b Agam b uru f bgg lfrahr ha (a h wr} u[g ff a rl mmu? h rflrall a lrxvl wh ma h w wlru
rfrma a akwlg hr mm b1l 1 a ba fr llbrav xs a hrb fr blgg ba mrl bh po:.eHmR ar n muh bu ba h1r har ftin /
xp t tatist iptat jha Th fa ra h rr a ral va h g
y hr b
The mgs we 'hare.
[cl.\(1
The ray hat e ner th wrld aen a Hl ort. Ae
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mace. "98.6. auc r nvie o otempe or C\ en 1 the ca
ego! o hese Amere-s a cuu gu' enty a omaprence a a oppeve domatc conco l a
peormv ml of bee
Notes
He s 1 , x wi ev b h t 1 •
I Alhough eaier dra o "e d C Mar)" pae Ek id a crm for te u
cide. d:cor c Sms and Goada ( ho cnued on h rmr rdl pacedEk onae o the act
t ud e noed howee. t Eko g\e he audee c ad l a "a pp u a but one mpant epc earler n he a), wen d�ng h ppe duo cmmn ppuu. Eko decr w th coempt the premum pla�d he Japanes adtio on he woma di wh he le etherthe Wma\ e : ed together eue hecha n deah E. on he ohe ad d d n the li m ouch. leg played
deiberate deface anato Mha Iar, ne gardg t rm' ua fr namliar \h the
Italia r ench dtm the term ;U !luqu h adJC-rua m UC I a: ahe a\kward A ma clea ow\e.· (ql< r qulqu r to wch j nhe palar eeal nether ndidual r genec A gamb >
4 Lke Witgenten' ilu•tao ngag a' u ym lly ad mean yw o m ma "the arou m memr a fm ap ad c thread pnn a trad we ' r o r And te tegthf te trad d n rd he fac ha e r un r , whe leg. he
oeappn many be [Wtge I. 7 !l Agamn' cpt ong ecogn' caege/aaton' a delbeatel d\ de a ae o d pe u ra Wtngenin fr a:ntia'm :(wt blured edge, Am atemp o ncee he n ogehe at
. rae a fu on the nm/w rr t HC tat a cocepcommu-ny/ideny thre) broaden he a) / paramee A gamn \he mpue o eon a wha ntela dent agr
5 De ii and Af S" r d n a maurpt tled E We\
Tg· upubld n alhough � a ren bquty. hon d of thape a par he - ;eie
6 The na pec o he ram a ao d A S d the on egme
fd Vem te r three piee. 6 LtMO Che " and Whpr S. were (at a ra ued on hnee/Ce he ague belo
6 b l id d h
8/14/2019 The Things We Share- Ethnic Performativity and 'Whatever Being'.pdf
