Banana Bending: Asian-Australian and Asian-Canadian Literatures

Introduction

Introduction anana Bending is concerned wit h mapping , interrogating, an d creating critica l pathway s fo r diaspori c Asia n literar y studies. The boo k argue s tha t i n orde r t o examin e th e discipline s an d production o f Asian-Canadian an d Asian-Australian literatures , work need s to b e considere d withi n layer s o f nation, community, and th e gendere d self . Examining thes e layer s enable s a rigorou s interrogatio n o f th e politic s o f raciahsation i n existin g nationa l sphere s o f cultur e an d forge s ne w mode s of researc h an d analysi s fo r thes e literature s T o thi s end , th e chapter s char t a progressio n o f thes e concern s by , first, explicatin g th e nationa l context s for Asian s an d raciahse d writin g i n Australia an d Canad a an d the n shiftin g to examin e specificall y th e significanc e o f thes e layer s fo r Asian-Australia n and Asian-Canadian text s an d thei r construction . The title , 'Banana Bending' , i s a playfu l referenc e t o th e physica l sit e from whic h I write1 a s well a s a reformation o f an epithe t that , in th e main , functions a s disapprova l o r dismissa l Th e judgemen t implici t i n deemin g someone 'yellow o n th e outside , white o n th e inside ' indicates a reductionis t attitude t o issue s o f culture , community , an d race . Contrarily , I welcom e the complex , overlapping, and sometime s contradictor y narrative s o f identit y the ter m 'banana ' conjure s I t encapsulate s th e specifi c concern s o f communities i n diaspor a an d operate s a s bot h defianc e an d recuperation . To thi s extent , I a m usin g th e ter m t o mea n hybridise d Asia n identitie s i n the West , rathe r tha n specifi c referenc e t o mixed-rac e origins , whic h i s sometimes ho w th e ter m i s used . Examples o f claimin g an d flauntin g th e 'banana' ta g ca n b e foun d i n a rang e o f popula r cultura l site s an d critica l deliberations abou t identity , from th e Chinese-Canadia n 'Banan a Bloggers ' who tak e advantag e o f Web diarie s t o expres s thei r opinions 2 t o Chinese B 2 Banana Bending Australian filmmake r Ton y Ayres' s us e o f th e ter m i n China Dolls, a film about quee r Asian-Australians Give n tha t this book interrogate s and examine s new strategie s o f reading , identification , an d pohticisation , i t shoul d b e considered a s bendin g 'banana ' literature , tha t is , transformin g curren t understandings o f diaspori c Asia n literature s an d thei r attendan t critica l apparatus. The Australia n an d Canadia n style s o f multiculturalis m ar e relativel y similar (Austrah a base d it s agend a o n Canada' s policy) , and th e criticis m o f the policy has engaged with comparabl e issue s such as the forms an d practice s of libera l racism . Critic s suc h a s Jon Stratto n an d Ie n An g conside r thi s 'top-down', policy-drive n styl e o f multiculturalis m a s robbin g th e concep t of revolutionary potential . They compar e i t to th e unofficia l multiculturalis m that exist s i n th e Unite d States : "in th e Unite d State s multiculturalis m ca n only b e conceive d a s subverting th e national , whil e th e Australia n [an d Canadian] nationa l ca n b e represente d a s constituted by multiculturalism " (151).3 O f course , national structure s ar e rarel y...