On Not Speaking Chinese

Living Between Asia and the West

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by Ien Ang

Routledge

Due/Published December 2001, 240 pages, paper

ISBN 0415259134

Engaging with questions of identity in an age of globalization and diaspora, Ang reflects upon tensions between 'Asia' and 'the West' at a national and global level, and considers the disparate meanings of 'Chineseness' in the contemporary world. Ang then turns to 'the West,' exploring the paradox of Australia's identity as a 'Western' country in the Asian region, and tracing Australia's uneasy relationship with its Asian neighbors, from the White Australia policy to contemporary multicultural society. Finally, Ang draws together her discussion of 'Asia' and 'the West' to consider the social and intellectual space of the 'in-between,' arguing for a theorizing not of 'difference' but of 'togetherness' in contemporary societies.

Contents

Introduction: Between Asia and the West.
Part I Beyond Asia: Deconstructing Diaspora
1. On Not Speaking Chinese
2. Can One Say No to Chineseness
3. Inodnesia on My Mind
4. Undoing Diaspora

Part II. Beyond the West: Negotiating Multiculturalism
5. Multiculturalism in Crisis
6. Asians in Australia
7. Racial/Spatial Anxiety
8. The Curse of the Smile
9. Identity Blues

III. Beyond Identity: Living Hybridities
10. Local/Global Negotiations
11. I'm a Feminist but....
12. Conclusion: Together in Difference

Notes. Bibliography
Index.