“Fluidity” as Identity Politics and the Contradictions of Multiculturalism: David Henry Hwang's Yellow Face
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The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the parallel between the contradiction of American multiculturalism and David Henry Hwang's 2007 play, Yellow Face. This paper illuminates the change in his view on racial identity and the factors that influenced him by broadly exploring Hwang's essays, interviews, speeches, and biographical backgrounds. A combination of fact and fiction, Yellow Face deals with the casting of Face Value, and Hwang created himself as a protagonist, DHH, with his initials. At the end of the play, the character admitted that he no longer identifies himself as an Asian American, thinking of his race as a mere mask, and he alludes his new racial identity as a Caucasian. Through this play, the playwright might have pronounced his intelligent honesty on one hand, but on the other hand, the play and Hwang's quest represent the contradiction of multiculturalism. Multiculturalism claims that American society should look beyond racial difference. However, a white supremacist racial hierarchy is still deeply embedded in the society's fabric, and similarly, Hwang chose to be a white instead of an Asian American, even when claiming that race is a mere mask. This points to the danger of color-blind racism, which can impede true racial equality and progress by dismissing racial issues as outdated.
Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the parallel between the contradiction of American multiculturalism and David Henry Hwang's 2007 play, Yellow Face. This paper illuminates the change in his view on racial identity and the factors that influenced him by broadly exploring Hwang's essays, interviews, speeches, and biographical backgrounds. A combination of fact and fiction, Yellow Face deals with the casting of Face Value, and Hwang created himself as a protagonist, DHH, with his initials. At the end of the play, the character admitted that he no longer identifies himself as an Asian American, thinking of his race as a mere mask, and he alludes his new racial identity as a Caucasian. Through this play, the playwright might have pronounced his intelligent honesty on one hand, but on the other hand, the play and Hwang's quest represent the contradiction of multiculturalism. Multiculturalism claims that American society should look beyond racial difference. However, a white supremacist racial hierarchy is still deeply embedded in the society's fabric, and similarly, Hwang chose to be a white instead of an Asian American, even when claiming that race is a mere mask. This points to the danger of color-blind racism, which can impede true racial equality and progress by dismissing racial issues as outdated.
참고문헌 (21)
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