Onstage Transformation and Identity Politics in Contemporary Asian American Theater

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Onstage Transformation and Identity Politics in Contemporary Asian American Theater Onstage Transformation and Identity Politics in Contemporary Asian American Theater A dissertation presented to the faculty of the College of Fine Arts of Ohio University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy Yining Liu December 2017 © 2017 Yining Liu. All Rights Reserved. 2 This dissertation titled Onstage Transformation and Identity Politics in Contemporary Asian American Theater by YINING LIU has been approved for Interdisciplinary Arts and the College of Fine Arts by William F. Condee Professor of Interdisciplinary Arts Matthew R. Shaftel Dean, College of Fine Arts 3 ABSTRACT LIU, YINING, Ph.D., December 2017, Interdisciplinary Arts Onstage Transformation and Identity Politics in Contemporary Asian American Theater Director of Dissertation: William F. Condee This dissertation is an in-depth investigation of the aesthetic and ideological function of onstage transformations (by means of costume and makeup change) as employed in contemporary theater performance written by Asian American artists. I explore the questions of how the device of transformation functions to embody ethnic and cultural identities that are implicated with gender and sexuality, and how such performances of identities intervene into the discourse of racialization and identity politics. To address these questions, I conduct textual analysis through the lens of semiotics of theater (to examine transformations as visual and corporeal signifiers), Bertolt Brecht’s theory of Verfremdungseffekt and critical theories on the formation and representation of identities. My analysis focuses on four objects in detail: David Henry Hwang’s M. Butterfly (1988), Naomi Iizuka’s 36 Views (2001), Julia Cho’s BFE (2005) and D’Lo’s solo performance Ramble-Ations: A One D’Lo Show (2007). My examination reveals that onstage transformations serve to present the multiplicity, hybridity and transformability of one’s identities, and therefore contest any essentialist or stereotypical notion of identity formation. Hence, in addition to intervening into the discourse of Asian American identities, these performances also complicate the issue of identity and problematize the ideology of identity politics in general. The 4 hybridity and heterogeneity embodied in onstage transformations imply the porousness of identity categories of ethnicity, race, gender and sexuality. 5 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Abstract ............................................................................................................................... 3 List of Figures ..................................................................................................................... 7 Preface................................................................................................................................. 9 Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 11 Chapter 1: Methodology and Prior Studies ....................................................................... 19 The Semiotics of Theater .............................................................................................. 19 The Actor’s External Appearance as a Signifier of Identity ......................................... 21 Onstage Transformation as a Brechtian Technique ...................................................... 24 Identity and Identity Formation .................................................................................... 28 Prior Studies .................................................................................................................. 32 Chapter 2: Performing Identities in Transformations: On David Henry Hwang’s M. Butterfly............................................................................................................................. 38 Madame Butterfly and Orientalism ............................................................................... 41 “A Decontructivist Madama Butterfly” ........................................................................ 47 The Actors’ Transformations Onstage .......................................................................... 52 Butterfly and the Dragon Lady ..................................................................................... 55 From Kimono to Armani Suit: Butterfly’s Metamorphosis .......................................... 62 The Naked Body and Masked Identities ....................................................................... 67 Becoming Butterfly: Gallimard’s Metamorphosis........................................................ 72 Conclusion .................................................................................................................... 77 Chapter 3: Questioning Cultural Authenticity and the Boundaries of “Asian American”: On Naomi Iizuka’s 36 Views ............................................................................................ 81 Setsuko Hearn’s Transformations ................................................................................. 83 The Myth of Cultural Authenticity ............................................................................... 89 The Androgynous Mind: John Bell’s Transformation .................................................. 91 Passing for Mobility and Resistance: Claire Tsong’s Transformation ....................... 100 Pushing the Boundary of “Asian American” .............................................................. 110 Chapter 4: Cosmetic Transformation and Asian American Female Identities: On Julia Cho’s BFE ....................................................................................................................... 113 The Landscape of BFE................................................................................................ 116 The Hyphenated Asian American Identities ............................................................... 118 6 The Discourse of Beauty and the Cosmetic Gaze ....................................................... 125 The First Cosmetic Transformation ............................................................................ 130 The Final Transformation ........................................................................................... 133 Asian Eyelid Surgery .................................................................................................. 137 Conclusion .................................................................................................................. 143 Chapter 5: Queering the South Asian Diaspora: Transformations in Ramble-Ations: A One D’Lo Show ............................................................................................................... 145 D’Lo and Amma ......................................................................................................... 149 D’Lo and Vanathi ....................................................................................................... 155 D’Lo and Nic(ole) ....................................................................................................... 158 D’Lo and D’Lo in Flesh .............................................................................................. 163 D’Lo and “G” .............................................................................................................. 168 Six Characters in Search of an Author ........................................................................ 170 The Transformative Aesthetics of Solo Performance ................................................. 175 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................... 178 Epilogue .......................................................................................................................... 186 Works Cited .................................................................................................................... 188 7 LIST OF FIGURES Page Figure 1: Tadeusz Kowzan’s classification of the sign-systems of theater ....................22 Figure 2: Gallimard narrates the plot of Madame Butterfly and his fantasy appears upstage where Butterfly is played by Song Liling ..........................................................51 Figure 3: Gallimard’s costume transformation into Pinkerton in Guthrie Theater’s production .......................................................................................................................53 Figure 4: Linda Cho’s design of the qi-pao dress for Guthrie Theater’s production .....57 Figure 5: Production by TheatreWorks in Palo Alto, CA in 2006 .................................58 Figure 6: Screenshots from the film M. Butterfly ...........................................................59 Figure 7: Broadway production in 1988 .........................................................................61 Figure 8: Screenshots of the TV commercial of M. Butterfly in 1988 ............................64 Figure 9: Song Liling in an Armani suit in TheatreWorks’ production .........................67 Figure 10: Song touches Gallimard’s face in TheatreWorks’ production ......................69 Figure 11: Gallimard’s transformation ...........................................................................73 Figure 12: Screenshots of the TV commercial of M. Butterfly in 1988 ..........................76 Figure 13: Hikinuki costume change in kabuki performance .........................................84 Figure 14: Myung
Recommended publications
  • The 200 Plays That Every Theatre Major Should Read
    The 200 Plays That Every Theatre Major Should Read Aeschylus The Persians (472 BC) McCullers A Member of the Wedding The Orestia (458 BC) (1946) Prometheus Bound (456 BC) Miller Death of a Salesman (1949) Sophocles Antigone (442 BC) The Crucible (1953) Oedipus Rex (426 BC) A View From the Bridge (1955) Oedipus at Colonus (406 BC) The Price (1968) Euripdes Medea (431 BC) Ionesco The Bald Soprano (1950) Electra (417 BC) Rhinoceros (1960) The Trojan Women (415 BC) Inge Picnic (1953) The Bacchae (408 BC) Bus Stop (1955) Aristophanes The Birds (414 BC) Beckett Waiting for Godot (1953) Lysistrata (412 BC) Endgame (1957) The Frogs (405 BC) Osborne Look Back in Anger (1956) Plautus The Twin Menaechmi (195 BC) Frings Look Homeward Angel (1957) Terence The Brothers (160 BC) Pinter The Birthday Party (1958) Anonymous The Wakefield Creation The Homecoming (1965) (1350-1450) Hansberry A Raisin in the Sun (1959) Anonymous The Second Shepherd’s Play Weiss Marat/Sade (1959) (1350- 1450) Albee Zoo Story (1960 ) Anonymous Everyman (1500) Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf Machiavelli The Mandrake (1520) (1962) Udall Ralph Roister Doister Three Tall Women (1994) (1550-1553) Bolt A Man for All Seasons (1960) Stevenson Gammer Gurton’s Needle Orton What the Butler Saw (1969) (1552-1563) Marcus The Killing of Sister George Kyd The Spanish Tragedy (1586) (1965) Shakespeare Entire Collection of Plays Simon The Odd Couple (1965) Marlowe Dr. Faustus (1588) Brighton Beach Memoirs (1984 Jonson Volpone (1606) Biloxi Blues (1985) The Alchemist (1610) Broadway Bound (1986)
    [Show full text]
  • Undergraduate Play Reading List
    UND E R G R A DU A T E PL A Y R E A DIN G L ISTS ± MSU D EPT. O F T H E A T R E (Approved 2/2010) List I ± plays with which theatre major M E DI E V A L students should be familiar when they Everyman enter MSU Second 6KHSKHUGV¶ Play Hansberry, Lorraine A Raisin in the Sun R E N A ISSA N C E Ibsen, Henrik Calderón, Pedro $'ROO¶V+RXVH Life is a Dream Miller, Arthur de Vega, Lope Death of a Salesman Fuenteovejuna Shakespeare Goldoni, Carlo Macbeth The Servant of Two Masters Romeo & Juliet Marlowe, Christopher A Midsummer Night's Dream Dr. Faustus (1604) Hamlet Shakespeare Sophocles Julius Caesar Oedipus Rex The Merchant of Venice Wilder, Thorton Othello Our Town Williams, Tennessee R EST O R A T I O N & N E O-C L ASSI C A L The Glass Menagerie T H E A T R E Behn, Aphra The Rover List II ± Plays with which Theatre Major Congreve, Richard Students should be Familiar by The Way of the World G raduation Goldsmith, Oliver She Stoops to Conquer Moliere C L ASSI C A L T H E A T R E Tartuffe Aeschylus The Misanthrope Agamemnon Sheridan, Richard Aristophanes The Rivals Lysistrata Euripides NIN E T E E N T H C E N T UR Y Medea Ibsen, Henrik Seneca Hedda Gabler Thyestes Jarry, Alfred Sophocles Ubu Roi Antigone Strindberg, August Miss Julie NIN E T E E N T H C E N T UR Y (C O N T.) Sartre, Jean Shaw, George Bernard No Exit Pygmalion Major Barbara 20T H C E N T UR Y ± M ID C E N T UR Y 0UV:DUUHQ¶V3rofession Albee, Edward Stone, John Augustus The Zoo Story Metamora :KR¶V$IUDLGRI9LUJLQLD:RROI" Beckett, Samuel E A R L Y 20T H C E N T UR Y Waiting for Godot Glaspell, Susan Endgame The Verge Genet Jean The Verge Treadwell, Sophie The Maids Machinal Ionesco, Eugene Chekhov, Anton The Bald Soprano The Cherry Orchard Miller, Arthur Coward, Noel The Crucible Blithe Spirit All My Sons Feydeau, Georges Williams, Tennessee A Flea in her Ear A Streetcar Named Desire Synge, J.M.
    [Show full text]
  • Fluidity of Religious Identity in David Henry Hwang's
    International Journal of Technical Research and Applications e-ISSN: 2320-8163, www.ijtra.com Volume 5, Issue 4, (July-August) 2017), PP. 36-42 FLUIDITY OF RELIGIOUS IDENTITY IN DAVID HENRY HWANG'S GOLDEN CHILD Rajiha Kamel Muthana (Ph.D) University of Baghdad/ College of Arts/ Department of English Language [email protected] Abstract— Religion plays a significant role in the lives of Both internal and external forces are at play in Hwang's human beings, yet, religious fluidity has its own consequences. Golden Child which depicts this change in religious identity, This paper aims at investigating the impact of religious fluidity as the protagonist Tieng-Bin converts from Confucianism to on the identity of an early twentieth-century Chinese family. Christianity. This change is triggered by Tieng-Bin's Golden Child illustrates how a devoted Confucian Chinese dissatisfaction in his religious beliefs and practices which is struggles to leave parts of his culture behind by converting to considered one of the strongest internal forces. Tieng-Bin's Christianity. Tieng-Bin's conversion brings good and bad consequences to his household. The story ends with the death of travel to the Philippines, his staying there for three years, the Tieng-Bin's two wives , on the one hand, and with rebirth of influence of the Western people he has met there, as well as Tieng-Bin's daughter, Ahn, on the other hand. the influence of Reverend Baines, the missionary, who pays many visits to Tieng-Bin's household are considered external Keywords— Religious Identity, Foot Binding, Christianity, forces. Baines' lectures are attended by Tieng-Bin's second Confucianism, Tieng-Bin.
    [Show full text]
  • Full Interview David Henry Hwang & Mae Ngai
    An Interview with Mae Ngai & David Henry Hwang Professors Mae Ngai and David Henry Hwang spoke with us about the impact of COVID-19 on Asian-American communities. We discussed historical forces that have shaped the "model minority" and "perpetual foreigner" stereotypes; the need for bystander training and intersectional allyship; whether art can catalyze social change; and more. Interviews were conducted separately and over the phone. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. By: Meghan Gilligan Racism against Asian Americans is not new. How would you contextualize the violence we’ ve witnessed in the past year within the larger history of anti-Asian racism in the U.S.? David Henry Hwang: I think Asians in this country have always been saddled with a perpetual foreigner stereotype. It doesn’t matter how many generations your forebears may have been here, you still get asked: “Where are you really from?” That is a microaggression, but as a result, the way that we are accepted or not accepted here is always a function of America’s relationship to Asia. In periods when there is hostility between the U.S. and Asia, Asian-Americans get caught in the crossfire. That includes World War II and the incarceration of Japanese Americans. It includes the murder of Vincent Chin in the 1980s, when there was tension between the U.S.and Japan, and unemployed auto workers mistook him for Japanese and killed him because they’d lost their jobs. It includes the racial profiling and hate attacks against South-Asian Muslims after 9/11.
    [Show full text]
  • The Tenth Book of Ovid's Metamorphoses As Orpheus
    THE TENTH BOOK OF Ovid’s METAMORPHOSES AS Orpheus’ EPYLLION* Ulrich Eigler By picking up the topic of the Orpheus story in his tenth Book, Ovid seeks the competition with Virgil, who treated the Orpheus myth (Verg. Georg. 4.453–527) within the Aristaeus narrative in the fourth Book of the Geor­ gics (315–588). In both cases the story constitutes an insertion of its own quality within the greater narrative frame, which in the former case rep- resents Virgil’s didactic poem on agriculture and in the latter case the collective poems on transformations.1 In Virgil’s version, the Orpheus story is part of the frame of the Aristaeus narrative as a second narrative string, whereas in Ovid’s version the Orpheus story constitutes a complex on its own, which again has a number of insertions. Therefore, one was speaking of an Aristaeus and congruously of an Orpheus epyllion.2 This term was chosen because, contrary to the greater poem, the connexion was not given and for the Aristaeus and for the Orpheus episode applies what Koster termed as stimulus for the postulation of the epyllion as a Kleingattung: “Das auffallendste . ist die sogenannte Einlage und dass sie in einem so deutlichen Missverhältnis zur Haupterzählung steht, dass sie gewissermassen zur Hauptsache wird.”3 Analogical observations can be made regarding the Orpheus narrative. Into the frame narrative, which is dedicated to Orpheus (Met. 10.1–85; 11.37–66), the staging of an overlong song by Orpheus is inserted; it appears like a foreign body. It seems that Ovid, inspired by Virgil, tried to * I am very thankful to Dominique Stehli for his help with the translation of this article.
    [Show full text]
  • Anon(Ymous) By: Naomi Iizuka Directed By: Tyler Mckinney Dramaturgy By: Hannah Simon
    Anon(ymous) by: Naomi Iizuka Directed by: Tyler McKinney Dramaturgy By: Hannah Simon Inspired by Refugee Artist Alwy Fadhel TABLE OF CONTENTS Naomi Iizuka's Passport Profile......................................Page 3 There Is No Place Like Home: An Interview with the playwright.......................................................................................Page 4 About the Odyssey................................................................................................Page 6 Adventures of the Odyssey........................................................Page 7 Some things to Think About................................................Page 9 What is it like to be a child refugee?.......Page 10 One Second a Day Video...................................................................Page 11 Refugee Stories.............................................................................................................Page 12 NAME: Naomi Iizuka BORN: April 22, 1965 BIRTHPLACE: Tokyo, Japan OCCUPATION: Playwright SCHOOLING: BA from Yale, MFA in playwriting from University of California Naomi Iizuka wrote Anon(ymous) in 2007. Much like Anon, Iizuka never felt as if she had a home. She grew up not only in Japan, but also Indonesia, The Netherlands, and Washington D.C. As well, Iizuka's mother is American Latina and her father Japanese. Because of her multicultural appearance and background, Iizuka often felt displaced. A lot of Iizuka's work deals with identity and being multicultural. Her works often involve a nonlinear plot line. Meaning, the plot isn't in any sort of chronological order. This often gives her plays a sense of confusion and dysphoria. This is true for Anon(ymous). We can see the nonlinear plot structure in this play and we can see how this sort of structure affects Anon. It makes the story confusing and hard to understand, just as it feels to be displaced as a child. There's No Place Like Home An interview with the playwright by: Dominic P.
    [Show full text]
  • 9 Short Plays from the Longest Year of Our Lives
    LONG STORY SHORT 9 SHORT PLAYS FROM THE LONGEST YEAR OF OUR LIVES Sponsored by Linda Archer The Law Office of Steven Edward Buckingham Bob & Bev Howard Meghan Riordan & Chris Prince Debra & Tom Strange A Friend of The Warehouse Theatre THE WAREHOUSE THEATRE RECEIVES GENEROUS SUPPORT FROM THE JEAN T. AND HEYWARD G. PELHAM FOUNDATION AND THE HARRIET WYCHE ENDOWMENT BREAK Featuring MACHETE ORDER A LEG! by Marco Ramirez the 1 Sending our well wishes to by Cammi Stilwell Warehouse Theatre for a THIS IS DEREK by Paul Grellong spectacular show run. GERMS by Dorothy Fortenberry THE DESERT by Janine Salinas Schoenberg WAS HERE by Donald Jolly THE RELIEF OF TRUTH by Avery Sharpe SHOOTS fuelforbrands.com by Kristoffer Diaz HOPE by Bekah Brunstetter THE WAREHOUSE THEATRE PRESENTS LONG STORY SHORT BREAK Featuring MACHETE ORDER A LEG! by Marco Ramirez the 1 Sending our well wishes to by Cammi Stilwell Warehouse Theatre for a THIS IS DEREK by Paul Grellong spectacular show run. GERMS by Dorothy Fortenberry THE DESERT by Janine Salinas Schoenberg WAS HERE by Donald Jolly THE RELIEF OF TRUTH by Avery Sharpe SHOOTS fuelforbrands.com by Kristoffer Diaz HOPE by Bekah Brunstetter THE VIDEOTAPING OR MAKING OF ELECTRONIC OR OTHER AUDIO AND/OR VISUAL RECORDINGS OF THIS PRO- DUCTION OR DISTRIBUTING RECORDINGS OF ANY MEDIUM, INCLUDING THE INTERNET, IS STRICTLY PROHIB- ITED, A VIOLATION OF THE AUTHOR’S RIGHTS AND ACTIONABLE UNDER UNITED STATES COPYRIGHT LAW. FROM THE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR There have been many adjustments we’ve had to make at The Warehouse over the past 15 months.
    [Show full text]
  • Performing History Studies in Theatre History & Culture Edited by Thomas Postlewait Performing HISTORY
    Performing history studies in theatre history & culture Edited by Thomas Postlewait Performing HISTORY theatrical representations of the past in contemporary theatre Freddie Rokem University of Iowa Press Iowa City University of Iowa Press, Library of Congress Iowa City 52242 Cataloging-in-Publication Data Copyright © 2000 by the Rokem, Freddie, 1945– University of Iowa Press Performing history: theatrical All rights reserved representations of the past in Printed in the contemporary theatre / by Freddie United States of America Rokem. Design by Richard Hendel p. cm.—(Studies in theatre http://www.uiowa.edu/~uipress history and culture) No part of this book may be repro- Includes bibliographical references duced or used in any form or by any and index. means, without permission in writing isbn 0-87745-737-5 (cloth) from the publisher. All reasonable steps 1. Historical drama—20th have been taken to contact copyright century—History and criticism. holders of material used in this book. 2. Holocaust, Jewish (1939–1945), The publisher would be pleased to make in literature. 3. France—His- suitable arrangements with any whom tory—Revolution, 1789–1799— it has not been possible to reach. Literature and the revolution. I. Title. II. Series. The publication of this book was generously supported by the pn1879.h65r65 2000 University of Iowa Foundation. 809.2Ј9358—dc21 00-039248 Printed on acid-free paper 00 01 02 03 04 c 54321 for naama & ariel, and in memory of amitai contents Preface, ix Introduction, 1 1 Refractions of the Shoah on Israeli Stages:
    [Show full text]
  • Curran San Francisco Announces Cast for the Bay Area Premiere of Soft Power a Play with a Musical by David Henry Hwang and Jeanine Tesori
    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Curran Press Contact: Julie Richter, Charles Zukow Associates [email protected] | 415.296.0677 CURRAN SAN FRANCISCO ANNOUNCES CAST FOR THE BAY AREA PREMIERE OF SOFT POWER A PLAY WITH A MUSICAL BY DAVID HENRY HWANG AND JEANINE TESORI JUNE 20 – JULY 10, 2018 SAN FRANCISCO (March 6, 2018) – Today, Curran announced the cast of SOFT POWER, a play with a musical by David Henry Hwang (play and lyrics) and Jeanine Tesori (music and additional lyrics). SOFT POWER will make its Bay Area premiere at San Francisco’s Curran theater (445 Geary Street), June 20 – July 8, 2018. Produced by Center Theatre Group, SOFT POWER comes to Curran after its world premiere at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles from May 3 through June 10, 2018. Tickets for SOFT POWER are currently only available to #CURRAN2018 subscribers. Single tickets will be announced at a later date. With SOFT POWER, a contemporary comedy explodes into a musical fantasia in the first collaboration between two of America’s great theatre artists: Tony Award winners David Henry Hwang (M. Butterfly, Flower Drum Song) and Jeanine Tesori (Fun Home). Directed by Leigh Silverman (Violet) and choreographed by Sam Pinkleton (Natasha, Pierre, & the Great Comet of 1812), SOFT POWER rewinds our recent political history and plays it back, a century later, through the Chinese lens of a future, beloved East-meets-West musical. In the musical, a Chinese executive who is visiting America finds himself falling in love with a good-hearted U.S. leader as the power balance between their two countries shifts following the 2016 election.
    [Show full text]
  • ABSTRACT Stereotypes of Asians and Asian Americans in the U.S. Media
    ABSTRACT Stereotypes of Asians and Asian Americans in the U.S. Media: Appearance, Disappearance, and Assimilation Yueqin Yang, M.A. Mentor: Douglas R. Ferdon, Jr., Ph.D. This thesis commits to highlighting major stereotypes concerning Asians and Asian Americans found in the U.S. media, the “Yellow Peril,” the perpetual foreigner, the model minority, and problematic representations of gender and sexuality. In the U.S. media, Asians and Asian Americans are greatly underrepresented. Acting roles that are granted to them in television series, films, and shows usually consist of stereotyped characters. It is unacceptable to socialize such stereotypes, for the media play a significant role of education and social networking which help people understand themselves and their relation with others. Within the limited pages of the thesis, I devote to exploring such labels as the “Yellow Peril,” perpetual foreigner, the model minority, the emasculated Asian male and the hyper-sexualized Asian female in the U.S. media. In doing so I hope to promote awareness of such typecasts by white dominant culture and society to ethnic minorities in the U.S. Stereotypes of Asians and Asian Americans in the U.S. Media: Appearance, Disappearance, and Assimilation by Yueqin Yang, B.A. A Thesis Approved by the Department of American Studies ___________________________________ Douglas R. Ferdon, Jr., Ph.D., Chairperson Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of Baylor University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts Approved by the Thesis Committee ___________________________________ Douglas R. Ferdon, Jr., Ph.D., Chairperson ___________________________________ James M. SoRelle, Ph.D. ___________________________________ Xin Wang, Ph.D.
    [Show full text]
  • South Bay Musical Theatre Proudly Presents by Naomi Iizuka
    South Bay Musical Theatre proudly presents ANON(YMOUS) by Naomi Iizuka based on Homer’s The Odyssey Directed by Vinh G. Nguyen A special Readers’ Theatre presentation streamed live via Zoom on March 26, 2021 Produced through special arrangement with Playscripts, Inc. | www.playscripts.com 1 Director’s Note Welcome! n the 8th century BCE, the great Greek n the middle of our tarting from our very first rehearsal, experience as part Ipoet Homer wrote The Odyssey. It depicted Itwo-week rehearsal SAnon(ymous) has been a production like no of Anon(ymous) the post-Trojan War homecoming journey process, news of the other. The company was asked to share their exemplifies that. of the hero Odyssesus, King of Ithaca, and tragic shooting in stories of immigration and ancestry. It was Certainly, the past his many epic adventures along the way. In Atlanta that took deeply moving to hear the company members year has allowed us 2006, playwright Naomi Iizuka wrote her own the lives of six Asian relate their journey and their connection to time to further reflect, adaptation of ancient Greek myth. But instead American women hit their legacy. develop policies, of a king, her new play Anon(ymous) centered us. Like the rest of the Asian American Pacific expand relationships, and foster creative on the displacement of a lowly, nameless, Islander (AAPI) community, I was devastated, heatre is a space to build empathy and collaboration. present-day refugee and his search for the angry, and disappointed. However, I was Tcommunity, and as such, we strive for all meaning of home in America.
    [Show full text]
  • Nicole Barnes
    Nicole Elizabeth Barnes Duke University, Department of History 311 Carr Building, Durham NC 27705 [email protected] 919-684-8102 CURRENT POSITION Assistant Professor, Department of History, Duke University 2014 ~ PAST POSITIONS Scholar in Residence, Department of History, Duke University 2013 – 2014 Visiting Assistant Professor, Department of History, Boston College 2012 – 2014 EDUCATION University of California, Irvine (UCI) Ph.D., Chinese History 2006 – 2012 University of Colorado at Boulder (CU) Dual M.A., Chinese History, 1999 – 2004 Chinese Literature Lewis and Clark College (Portland, Oregon) B.A., French & Spanish, 1994 – 1998 Chinese & East Asian Studies FELLOWSHIPS AND GRANTS UCI Summer Dissertation Fellowship, 2012 U.S. Department of Education Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad Fellowship, 2010-11 Taiwan National Library Center for Chinese Studies Research Grant for Foreign Scholars, 2010 University of California Pacific Rim Research Program (PRRP) Dissertation Research Grant, 2009-10 UCI Center for Asian Studies Research Grant, 2009-10 UCI International Center for Writing & Translation (ICWT) Summer Research Grant, 2009; 2007 Association for Asian Studies China & Inner Asia Council Travel Grant, 2009-10 Rockefeller Archive Center Grant-in-Aid, 2009 University of California Pacific Rim Research Program (PRRP) Mini-Grant, 2008-09; 2007-08 UCI Humanities Center Research Grant, 2008-09 Taiwan Ministry of Education Huayu Fellowship for language study in Taiwan, 2007 UCI Chancellor’s Fellowship, 2006-2012 Ta-Tuan
    [Show full text]