“THANK YOU, YOUR ENGLISH IS VERY GOOD ALSO”1: ASIAN PANETHNICITY AND ITS PERFORMANCE IN AUSTRALIA AND AOTEAROA NEW ZEALAND By Sophia Edwards A thesis submitteD to Victoria UNiversity of WelliNgtoN iN fulfilmeNt of the requiremeNts for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy iN Cultural Anthropology Victoria UNiversity of WelliNgtoN 2019 1 EmbroiDereD oN a t-shirt worN by ReNee LiaNg, at the 2017 AsiaN New ZealaND Artists Hui. Abstract ExistiNg stuDies suggest that AsiaN paNethNicity is the political mobilisatioN of Diverse groups of people uNDer a New Name, to oppose racism aND DiscrimiNatioN. AsiaN paNethNicity is shapeD by social forces, iNcluDiNg those that excluDe. As such, it is iNhereNtly political. However, it is limitiNg to thiNk of it oNly as a kiND of iNteNtioNal, collective actioN beNt towards achieviNg a preDetermiNeD group goal. This thesis expaNDs this uNDerstaNDiNg of paNethNicity, by coNsiDeriNg how “AsiaNNNess” is experieNceD oN a subjective level; it asks what “AsiaN” meaNs to aND for the AsiaN iNDiviDual. LiNgeriNg OrieNtalism perpetuates a seNse of AsiaN people as Not quite beloNgiNg iN the West. Though by Now cliché, this Narrative of NoN-beloNgiNg coNtiNues to DetermiNe iDeas of AsiaNNess aND set the parameters of appropriate AsiaN behaviour. But, this NoN-beloNgiNg is also the site iN aND from which AsiaN actors make their owN meaNiNgs aND seek their owN kiND of situateD beloNgiNg. This thesis takes aN autoethNographic aND ethNographic approach to fielD sites iN Australia aND Aotearoa New ZealaND to observe some of the ways AsiaN iDeNtity is formeD. It is iNevitable that traNsnatioNal processes coNtribute to this iDeNtity work, but these global processes are also subsumeD by localiseD structures aND coNtexts. DrawiNg from participaNt observatioN with social aND commuNity groups, aND iNterviews with creative artists, writers, aDmiNistrators, commuNity workers aND activists aDDressiNg the questioN of what it meaNs to be AsiaN, I argue that AsiaN paNethNicity is coNstituteD by “doiNg”. It is maDe up of DiffereNt acts, repeateD over time, aND iN DiffereNt settiNgs. As a proDuct of relatioNships betweeN externally imposeD, iN group eNforceD, aND self-maDe coNceptioNs of “AsiaNNess”, AsiaN paNethNicity is both performative aND performeD. This thesis preseNts sceNarios iN which these performaNces aND preseNtatioNs of the AsiaN self take place. IN coNsiDeriNg some of the possible coNtexts aND coNveNtioNs that give rise to the performative act/s of beiNg AsiaN, I argue that beiNg AsiaN is a creative, collaborative, oNgoiNg eNDeavour. It is a meaNs by which to accomplish beloNgiNg iN the worlD. ii Acknowledgements Firstly, thaNk you to my participaNts for shariNg your time aND your stories with me. You have maDe this thesis possible. ThaNk you to my supervisors Jeff SissoNs aND CatheriNe TruNDle. Your expertise, experieNce, iNsights aND eNthusiasm guided me, especially when I lackeD these thiNgs myself. I am appreciative of the help giveN to me by the aDmiNistratioN team, staff aND stuDeNts of the School of Social aND Cultural StuDies at Victoria UNiversity of Wellington. I am grateful for the PhD thesis writiNg sessioNs orgaNiseD by AnNa-Marie White aND for the supportive aND proDuctive eNviroNmeNt fostereD by all who atteNDeD. An Asia New ZealaND FouNDatioN postgraDuate research graNt helpeD fuND some of the fielDwork completeD for this thesis. FiNaNcial support was also proviDeD by the Victoria Doctoral Scholarship aND the Victoria Doctoral SubmissioN Scholarship. To my mother, father aND sister iN Australia, thaNk you for makiNg Do without me. Finally to Luke, for the indefatigable love, patieNce aND support that eNableD this thesis – thaNk you. iii Table of Contents Abstract .......................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgements ..................................................................................................... iii Table of Contents ......................................................................................................... iv Chapter 1: “finding out what Asian means” ............................................................. 1 Awkward methods ............................................................................................................... 11 Belonging .............................................................................................................................. 17 Chapter 2: Theoretical Frameworks ......................................................................... 24 Theories of Ethnicity ........................................................................................................... 25 Panethnicity .......................................................................................................................... 28 Linked fate ................................................................................................................................. 29 ClassificatioN .............................................................................................................................. 31 RegioNal focusses .................................................................................................................... 33 TraNsNatioNalism aND Diaspora .............................................................................................. 36 The limitatioNs of paNethNicity ................................................................................................. 38 Performativity ....................................................................................................................... 39 Performativity vs PerformaNce, Structure vs AgeNcy .......................................................... 41 Thesis Overview ................................................................................................................... 43 Thesis Outline ....................................................................................................................... 45 Chapter 3: The patchwork and entanglements of fieldwork ................................ 51 Meeting up and making friends ......................................................................................... 55 Meetup ........................................................................................................................................ 55 Who gets to joiN? ...................................................................................................................... 62 Chapter 4: “our place as men and women of our race” ........................................ 69 Australia Fair ........................................................................................................................ 69 Whiteness and racial formation ......................................................................................... 75 EthNoNormative Discourse aND AsiaN stereotypes ............................................................... 78 AsiaN Histories .......................................................................................................................... 80 AsiaN AustraliaN electoral politics ........................................................................................... 82 Chapter 5: “sPacifically Asian” ................................................................................. 87 Panethnic Subgroups .......................................................................................................... 94 Aotearoa ................................................................................................................................ 95 Chapter 6: “in jokes” ................................................................................................ 104 Dramaturgy of Ethnic Humour ......................................................................................... 105 Reverse Humour ................................................................................................................ 106 In group/Out group ............................................................................................................ 111 The performance of a joke ................................................................................................ 114 Chapter 7: Presentations of the Asian Other, and of the Asian Self ................. 118 Yellow face .......................................................................................................................... 118 An “unconventional” career ............................................................................................. 128 Counter-representations and self-presentations .......................................................... 130 Chapter 8: The ethnic supermarket ........................................................................ 136 Coolness .............................................................................................................................. 137 iv Taste ..................................................................................................................................... 141 Chapter 9: “no rice, no spice” ................................................................................. 146 Interracial Relationships ................................................................................................... 146 reddit ...................................................................................................................................