A Study of Intersectionality and Cultural Space in American Born Chinese

Abstract

This study explores the text of American Born Chinese (2006) through the lens of intersectionality. Intersectionality has been theoretically used for close reading of comics and graphic literature as a feminist lens. It has been primarily used for the interpretation of several contemporary North American graphic narratives. The study examines the text closely by drawing on Kimberlé Crenshaw's idea of intersectionality (1989). The concept of intersectionality provides the researcher with ideas like intersecting identities which are based on gender, class, socioeconomic status and immigration status. In the selected text there are two highly diverse communities which have all the cross-cultural elements. These cross-cultural elements intersect with the identities and power relationships among the characters. By applying the concept of intersectionality, the research recognizes the problems of those immigrants who hold multiple social identities. It highlights the complex pattern of social inequalities and exclusion of some members due to their individual backgrounds. It answers the questions like how the characters' cultural identities interact with other elements including ethnic background, sexual orientation, language, and status as immigrants by focusing on Jin and his immediate family in the novel. This approach emphasizes the particular difficulties and types of oppression that Asian people experience as a result of the compounding impacts of their intersecting identities. The study also looks at the manner in which the novel depicts the negotiation of personal identity and conflict of cultural spaces. It explores how Asian characters balance pressures to conform into Western society with ties to their cultural background. The study highlights on how intersectionality relates to the oppression and exoticization of Asian people in cultural settings and looks into misconceptions and prejudices that result from a poor understanding of their culture. This study examines significant passages, character interactions, and plot points to offer a comprehensive understanding of how the intersectionality theory influences how we read American Born Chinese.