Shah, H 2003, ‘ “Asian Culture” and Asian American
Identities in the Television and Film Industries of the United States’, Studies in Media & Information Literacy
Education, vol. 3, no. 3, pp. 1-10.
The extent of the media’s influence upon
interpretations of racial and ethnic identity becomes particularly evident when
assessing eastern depictions within early Hollywood films. The article by Shah
aims to conceptualise four main stereotypical models of Asian American
identities as established by white Hollywood and identify social responses within
Asian American communities as a means to combat this misrepresentation of
identity. The author succeeds in identifying four key groupings of
stereotypical representations of Asian identity within American film sources
and suggests of a modern day continuance of such film representations. The
findings show a degree of significance in understanding the transition of
Asian-American identity yet fail to affirm the continuing existence of such
perceptions within modern film.
Shah identifies four distinct stereotypes favoured
amongst white Hollywood producers, “Yellow Peril”, “Dragon Lady”, “Charlie
Chan” and “Lotus Blossom”. The author uses these stereotypes to document
transitions in Asian American identity as depicted within film from early
1900’s to post World War 2. The transition in identity falls in line with
political and social motivations towards nationalistic white American identity.
The “Yellow Peril” stereotype is analogous to the Mongol hordes and symbolises
the rise in Asian migration and the feelings of invasion felt by white
Americans. The term “Dragon Lady” is an attack upon Asian women, with their
depictions within early films as often alluring and dangerous. This imagery is
further evolved through pre and post war America. The terms “Charlie Chan” and
“Lotus Blossom” represent a defining point in social transition from threat to
acceptance.
The article provides many examples of Asian financed
and produced films released in an effort to counteract film stereotyping. Despite
these examples, the article neglects to mention any effects the release of such
films has had upon public perception and film stereotyping towards Asian
Americans. Furthermore, the article makes mention of a modern continuity of these
false perceptions being found within certain television series, a claim which
is poorly substantiated as social influence is no longer a defining factor. In
light of these issues, it is evident that modern perceptions towards
Asian-related stereotypings are being embraced by Americans alike whether
through alterations of societal perceptions or the natural progression of
public belief. Asian films, notably set and filmed in Asian locations with
foreign language dialogue are becoming increasingly popular within western audiences
(Wu & Chan, 2007). Through this popularity, it would appear that Asian
misrepresentation has in fact transitioned both in line with social perception
and in line with legitimate cultural exposure.
The author accurately identifies transitions in film
depictions of Asian American identities through social and political influences.
The article explores the existence of Asian centric cinema yet does not assess its
influence towards the restructuring of white Americas understanding of Asian
culture. Despite this oversight, western appeal for traditional Asian cinema is
steadily increasing; with Asian stereotyping replaced with traditional Asian
on-screen culture aiding in this attraction.
Wu, H & Chan, JM 2007, ‘Globalizing Chinese
martial arts cinema: the global-local alliance and the production of Crouching
Tiger, Hidden Dragon’, Media Culture
Society, vol. 29, no. 195, pp. 195-217.
Western acceptance of foreign culture has often
remained closely associated with social representations throughout film and
media. Foreign media, film, language and culture, particularly of Asian
orientation are experiencing a proliferation throughout western countries. Wu
and Chan aim to explore this rise in appeal in an attempt to understand the
cultural flow from the stereotypical ‘other’ to social acceptance and mass
social appeal. The authors achieve this through the analysis of the film Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon and the
success which it achieved throughout western audiences. The authors identify a
trend moving towards mutual cultural acceptance in which eastern cinema becomes
the conduit for cultural exchange and understanding.
With agency being a defining factor through the rise
in popularity of Asian cinema, the text further builds upon this construct by
assessing the social network developed through the interaction between the
global and local entities. The authors use this as the basis for the notion of
cross-cultural flow, the expansion of cultural identities and practices
reciprocally between eastern and western nations (Tomlinson, 2000). It is then
argued that through this interaction on a global and local scale, coupled with
the presence of cultural flow (equally between east and west) Asian film has
experienced the marked rise in popularity evident today. To support this claim,
Wu and Chan rely heavily upon textual analysis, assessing documents and
interviews surrounding the popularity of Crouching
Tiger Hidden Dragon to demonstrate this cultural flow and global appeal. Through
this, the authors assess global-local dialects to further reinforce their
thesis.
Wu and Chan succeed in proving their thesis of
reverse cultural flow through analysing the rise of Asian cinema within western
societies. The article is of considerable significance as it highlights how
transitions within social perceptions can be influenced through media exposure
for cross cultural benefit. Although providing a solid foundation for
understanding social conduits, interestingly the article does not assess Asian
cinema prior to 1970 in which cultural flow between eastern and western nations
would have had significant impacts upon social perspectives (Shah, 2003). This
would be a vital contrast and help to document the societal influence to
further legitimise the author’s claims.
The text successfully establishes a basis for cross
cultural flow through the utilisation of Asian martial-arts cinema as a means
for conveying cultural identity through globalisation. It would be recommended
to contrast modern identity globalisation through Asian cinema with respective pre
and post World War 2 perceptions to ascertain further influences in cultural
understanding and appeal.
References:
Shah, H 2003, ‘ “Asian Culture” and Asian American
Identities in the Television and Film Industries of the United States’, Studies in Media & Information Literacy
Education, vol. 3, no. 3, pp. 1-10.
Tomlinson, J 2000, Globalisation and Culture, Chicago University Press, Chicago.
Wu, H & Chan, JM 2007, ‘Globalizing Chinese
martial arts cinema: the global-local alliance and the production of Crouching
Tiger, Hidden Dragon’, Media Culture
Society, vol. 29, no. 195, pp. 195-217.
