아시아계 미국인의 노동 공간의 의미: 『차이나타운의 마지막 손 세탁소』에 나타난 이국화와 여성성
The Significance of Asian Americans' Labor Space: Exoticization and Effeminateness in The Last Hand Laundry in Chinatown
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This essay explores the service sector which is associated with "racialized" and "gendered" Asian America. In early history of Asian Americans, the service jobs such as those in restaurants or laundries have provided Asian American men with space in which they could survive while avoiding discriminations from the mainstream society. Laboring in this vocational zone, which has been produced and reproduced through immigrant history, they have to face the predicament in which their space is exoticized and their sexuality is degraded according to their power relation with the hegemonic group. The main character Crazy Tom in The Last Hand Laundry in Chinatown encounters the dilemma of exoticization of the space, his feminization or emasculation, and renewal project of Chinatown. The dominant group gazes upon Chinatown as an exotic place. At the same time, the narrowed working space and the limited movement of Crazy Tom signifies feminine characterization. However, Crazy Tom complicates and resists racial and sexual implications of his working zone. Through recalcitrant and eccentric behaviors, he attempts to subvert the stigmatic image produced by historical and socio-political context. Although it does not signify his ultimate victory, in so doing, he comes to empower himself and his community with Chinese cultural heritage.
Abstract
This essay explores the service sector which is associated with "racialized" and "gendered" Asian America. In early history of Asian Americans, the service jobs such as those in restaurants or laundries have provided Asian American men with space in which they could survive while avoiding discriminations from the mainstream society. Laboring in this vocational zone, which has been produced and reproduced through immigrant history, they have to face the predicament in which their space is exoticized and their sexuality is degraded according to their power relation with the hegemonic group. The main character Crazy Tom in The Last Hand Laundry in Chinatown encounters the dilemma of exoticization of the space, his feminization or emasculation, and renewal project of Chinatown. The dominant group gazes upon Chinatown as an exotic place. At the same time, the narrowed working space and the limited movement of Crazy Tom signifies feminine characterization. However, Crazy Tom complicates and resists racial and sexual implications of his working zone. Through recalcitrant and eccentric behaviors, he attempts to subvert the stigmatic image produced by historical and socio-political context. Although it does not signify his ultimate victory, in so doing, he comes to empower himself and his community with Chinese cultural heritage.
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