America onstage series#

National Abjection is a welcome addition to this growing body of criticism.'-Mark Chiang, American Literature'National Abjection is an important contribution to the fields of performance studies and Asian American studies, while also of interest to scholars examining transnationalism, globalization, critical race theory, and the body.'-Dan Bacalzo, Journal of Asian StudiesListed in Theatre Journal, Asian Week, Critical Inquiry, CHE and boundary 2., â€œA provocative, well-researched study of the psychosocial and aesthetic representation of the Asian American as the â€˜abjectâ€™ in the formation of the American nation. Such a feat is difficult to accomplish.'-Claire Conceison, Asian Theatre Journal'Considering the relatively uncharted terrain of Asian American theater and performance. Her book functions effectively as a coherent narrative and as a group of essays with diverse subject matter. Shimakawa's application of abjection to Asian American dramaturgy and performance is a valuable contribution to the growing discourse in Asian American cultural studies. he offers a fresh perspective under the compelling rubric of abjection, presenting the most effective examination of this well-covered terrain to date. 'I have anticipated the publication of Karen Shimakawa's book for quite some time now. Finally, Shimakawa considers Asian Americanness in the context of globalization by meditating on the work of Ping Chong, particularly his East-West Quartet. Butterfly as well as Miss Saigon, a mainstream production that enacted the process of cultural displacement both onstage and off. She analyzes works attempting to negate the process of abjection-such as the 1988 Broadway production of M. She shows how some plays-Wakako Yamauchi's 12-1-A, Frank Chin's Chickencoop Chinaman, and The Year of the Dragon -have both directly and indirectly addressed the displacement of Asian Americans. Her examination of the emergence of Asian American theater companies illuminates their strategies for countering the stereotypes of Asian Americans and the lack of visibility of Asian American performers within the theater world. Shimakawa looks at the origins of Asian American theater, particularly through the memories of some of its pioneers. She examines how Asian Americans become culturally visible on and off stage, revealing the ways Asian American theater companies and artists respond to the cultural implications of this abjection. culture are a function of national abjection-a process that demands that Americanness be defined by the exclusion of Asian Americans, who are either cast as symbolic foreigners incapable of integration or Americanization or distorted into an 'honorary' whiteness. Karen Shimakawa argues that the forms of Asian Americanness that appear in U.S.

National Abjection explores the vexed relationship between 'Asian Americanness' and 'Americanness' through a focus on drama and performance art.

And I didn't have a performing talent, which is really ironic now,' she said, adding how she's the first Miss America to win with a science experiment, a presentation she brings to schools.

'I kind of figured that I would never get on that stage because I was a woman who did not want to get into a swimsuit on stage. Schrier, who spoke on stage about having tackled an eating disorder, said she decided to compete for Miss America after the swimsuit competition was ditched, along with other changes that have been made to modernize the organization. Camille Schrier reacts as she's crowned after winning the Miss America competition.

'To make it relevant for these young women, it was important for us as a scholarship and service organization to make sure that we were reflective of this generation, meaning that you no longer had to be defined by some sort of ideal,' said Regina Hopper, president & CEO of the Miss America Organization.

America onstage series#

Instead, a series of interviews and talent demonstrations determined who was best qualified to compete for this year's crown. For the second year in a row, women were not judged in a swimsuit or how they look in an evening gown.