Forget Chineseness

<p><b>Critiques the idea of a Chinese cultural identity and argues that such identities are instead determined by geopolitical and economic forces.</b></p><p><i>Forget Chineseness</i> provides a critical interpretation of not only discourses of Chinese identity-Chineseness-but also of how they have reflected differences between Chinese societies such as in Hong Kong Taiwan People's Republic of China Singapore and communities overseas. Allen Chun asserts that while identity does have meaning in cultural representational terms it is more importantly a product of its embeddedness in specific entanglements of modernity colonialism nation-state formation and globalization. By articulating these processes underlying institutional practices in relation to public mindsets it is possible to explain various epistemic moments that form the basis for their sociopolitical transformation.</p><p>From a broader perspective this should have salient ramifications for prevailing discussions of identity politics. The concept of identity has not only been predicated on flawed notions of ethnicity and culture in the social sciences but it has also been acutely exacerbated by polarizing assumptions that drive our understanding of identity politics.</p>