DOI
https://doi.org/10.25772/JXD6-1579
Defense Date
2018
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts
Department
English
First Advisor
Winnie Chan
Second Advisor
Jennifer Rhee
Third Advisor
Cristina Stanciu
Fourth Advisor
G. Antonio Espinoza
Abstract
The Philippines lies at the intersection of two global empires, having been under Spanish colonial rule from 1521-1898 and American colonial rule from 1899-1945. As a country that expresses a melange of cultures, both on the global and local level, Filipino national identity is constantly in debate. This thesis examines how literature in the Philippines can play a role in establishing a national identity in relation to the ways in which Filipinos of both the home country and the Filipino diaspora negotiate language. Analyzing José Rizal’s Noli Me Tangere (1887) alongside Jessica Hagedorn’s Dogeaters (1990) through the theoretical framework of the contact zone, a rejection of the third space, and deterritorialization shows that Filipino culture consumes imposing foreign cultures, dismantling even their label as foreign. Thus, the interaction between Filipino culture and colonial culture is a rich example of how to decentralize the Western gaze in postcolonial literary analysis.
Rights
© The Author
Is Part Of
VCU University Archives
Is Part Of
VCU Theses and Dissertations
Date of Submission
5-9-2018