Cultural Resistance in Asian American Literary Traditions

Introduction

Lisa Lowe's "Immigrant Acts" serves as a profound exploration of the Asian American experience, challenging the conventional narrative of assimilation by highlighting the existence of an alternative culture, memory, and history. Lowe's work is instrumental in amplifying the voices emerging from the Asian American society, which have long been marginalized within the broader context of American national culture. Through a careful examination of historical, political, cultural, and aesthetic representations of Asian American immigrants, Lowe reveals the reasons why Asian American culture remains at a "distance" from mainstream American culture.

This essay will delve into Lowe's arguments, focusing on the contradictions faced by Asian immigrants in the United States, and will further explore how this theme is reflected in Aimee Phan’s "We Should Never Meet," Jessica Hagedorn's "Dogeaters," and Alice Wu's "Saving Face." These works collectively underscore the oppression and distancing of the Asian community and highlight their efforts to preserve and reinvent their cultural memories and histories.

Contradictions and Exclusion

Lowe argues that Asian immigrants have historically been included in the menial labor market and high-risk work of the U.S. nation-state, yet they are systematically excluded from legal citizenship and the national cultural narrative. This exclusion positions them as "foreigners-within" and "model minorities," reinforcing their status as perpetual outsiders. The U.S. national memory, shaped by a desire for a homogenized culture, continues to marginalize Asian Americans, returning them to an alien origin. In "Immigrant Acts," Lowe illustrates how Asian American society resists assimilation, choosing instead to maintain cultural, racial, and linguistic identities that diverge from the dominant national narrative.

The U.S. cultural sphere, often viewed as a utopian fantasy of unity and progress, actively suppresses any subject that contradicts its abstract ideals. This "oneness" disarticulates Asian immigrants from the national political sphere, relegating them to the status of "yellow peril" and forever casting them as culturally and racially foreign. Furthermore, the U.S. national culture seeks to erase the history of imperialism and war, which have left deep scars on countries from which many Asian immigrants originate. These traumatic memories further distance Asian Americans from the national narrative, reinforcing the need for them to reinvent their lost memories and affirm their unique cultural identities.

Reclaiming Lost Memories

Aimee Phan’s "We Should Never Meet" is a poignant exploration of this theme, using the voices of Vietnamese orphans to reanimate the lost memories of adoption experiences in the U.S. In the aftermath of World War II, a "secular salvation theology" emerged, wherein Western countries, including the U.S., sought to "rescue" children from war-torn Asian nations. While this adoption was framed as a humanitarian effort, it often masked the underlying militarized humanitarianism that sought to alleviate the very suffering caused by U.S. military intervention. This unresolved contradiction highlights the irony of the U.S.'s "rescue" narrative, as these children would not have become orphans if not for the military invasions.

Phan’s narrative reveals the alienation felt by these adoptees, who are treated as commodities rather than family members. The orphans' experiences are largely invisible to the American public, their stories overshadowed by the mainstream media’s focus on the humanitarian efforts of U.S. families. This selective memory creates a "lost memory" of the nation, one that fails to acknowledge the true circumstances of these children. Through characters like Hoa, who observes that adopters may see orphans as fashionable souvenirs of war rather than as children deserving of love, Phan critiques the superficial compassion of American culture. The orphans’ estrangement from their adoptive culture exposes the empty promises of salvation and underscores their reliance on the Vietnamese community for support.

Conclusion

Lisa Lowe’s "Immigrant Acts" and the narratives found in "We Should Never Meet," "Dogeaters," and "Saving Face" collectively illuminate the distance and exclusion Asian Americans face within the U.S. cultural landscape. These works challenge the dominant assimilation narrative by emphasizing the importance of preserving and reinventing Asian American memories and histories. They reveal the contradictions inherent in the American cultural narrative, which simultaneously marginalizes and exoticizes Asian Americans. By doing so, these texts offer alternative sites for understanding Asian American identity, underscoring the need for a more inclusive and nuanced national memory. Through this lens, the Asian American community is empowered to assert its unique cultural identity and resist the pressures of assimilation, ultimately contributing to a richer and more diverse American cultural tapestry.

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