Chapter 4 Defying and Redefining Vietnamese Diasporic Art and Media as Seen
through Chau Huynh’s Creations of “Transnationalizing Viet Nam”, by Kieu-Linh Caroline Valverde, focuses on Chau Huynh’s work and how the contradictions in
her work has “allowed new struggles for voice and representation within the
Vietnamese American community” (Valverde 2012). During the Vietnam War, many
Vietnamese fled to other parts of the world as refugees, leaving behind their
homeland, but keeping their memories, values, and cultural heritage fresh in
their mind. For the second and more generations, they carry the memories of the
refugee experience. Specifically in the Vietnamese American community, this
indirect experience of Vietnam through their refugee family members result in a
new way of connection within the community because they have not personally
visited Vietnam but various forms of cultural production have allowed this
community to connect to the homeland. Chau Huynh’s controversy emerged from her
own personal narratives that ultimately different from the overall refugee
community. Her intentions were not well viewed by the Vietnamese diaspora,
which further drove anticommunist sentiments and anger.
Question: Can James Du’s one-man
protest to spark conversation and dialogue within the Vietnamese American
community be considered a method of artivism?
Works Cited:
Valverde, Kieu. Transnationalizing
Viet Nam: Community, Culture, and Politics in the Diaspora. Philadelphia:
Temple UP, 2012. Print.
Image: http://www.sucmanhcongdong.net/docs/VanNan/2009vaala/vaala02.jpg
No comments:
Post a Comment