In the introduction of Transnationalizing Viet Nam, written by Kieu Linh Valverde, one of the more interesting points was brought up when Valverde stated, “Some from the younger generation, beholden to their families’ history of loss, continue to harbor sorrow for a perceived injustice and take on their parents’ political agenda to right it. Some even internalize their parents’ trauma, seeing it as their own ‘postmemory,’ and use that history as aspiration for artistic expression and cultural production” (Valverde, 2013, p. 11). In layman's terms, this refers to the newer generations attempt to right their families history of losses through activism or coping through forms of art and production. We see a lot of this in today’s society as more and more Asian-/American folks are running for political positions, production of films or TV shows like Crazy Rich Asians or “Fresh Off The Boat” that reshape their narratives, or literature becoming more and more prominent. However, there are folks that have not yet had the opportunity to find themselves as a part of this movement, so it’s important to not only be curious enough to include them, but to also be understanding of the difficulties that exist that may be preventing them from sharing their stories as well.
Question: Do the views towards the Asian diaspora in America come from a from a form of American mistrust or does it only pertain to the notion that “They won’t know what it’s like on the homeland?”
Citation:
Valverde, Kieu-Linh Caroline. Transnationalizing Viet Nam: Community, Culture, and Politics in the Diaspora. Temple University Press, 2013.
Interesting how you interpreted the 'postmemory' discussion. It was not my intent entirely, but I like your analysis.
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