The Construction Of Chinese American Identity In The Third Space: A Postcolonial Reading Of Bone

Chinese Americans are sandwiched between American main stream culture and Chinesetraditional culture; however, their cultural identity is definitely different from these two. As apostcolonialist, Homi Bhabha is keenly aware of the dilemma and anxiety of the ethnicminority. His concepts of “cultural difference”,“negotiation”,“the Third Space”,“hybridity”and “cultural translation” have shed light on the study of Chinese American identityconstruction in the Age of Globalization. Based on the former study achievements, this thesiswill give a postcolonial reading of Fea Myenne Ng’s Bone from Bhabha’s perspective. It willcreate a Bhabhaian Third Space where Chinese American stereotypes, binary opposition ofcultures and contradictions between generations are deconstructed, and new ChineseAmerican identity and community are constructed.Through retrospecting ethnic Chinese history, this thesis will destabilize the imposedstereotypes of the ethnic Chinese and display a real “representation” of Chinese Americans.Chinese Americans started constructing their own identity in the “interstice” of culture andspace since the first immigrant stepped on American land. Homi Bhabha’s theory provides ahybrid identity for them neither denying Chinese root nor disregarding American minoritystatus. It also opens up a negotiating space for two generations to defuse estrangement andcontradictions. This thesis will also attempt to study the new Chinese American community. Itdraws the conclusion that Chinese American community described in Bone is a newindependent and autonomous place with its own history and culture.Drawing from the insights of Homi Bhabha’s theory to interpret Bone, this thesis opensup a new horizon and a wider space for the exploration of identity research of ChineseAmerican in the Age of Globalization.