Abstract
The paper is a rethinking of writers' ethnic identity by, first of all, summarizing the basis on which ethnic writers are often categorized, namely by blood, nurturing, professed recognition or inclination, and analyzing the defects of such classification. Following this analysis, it discusses the subjective part of ethnic writers' identity selection, focusing mostly on the often neglected elements of identity — its performativity and its temporality; it argues that we need to abandon essentialism by embracing the theory of social constructionism. In today's multilateral and shifting world, the identity of ethnic writers should increasingly be viewed as a constructive process which is mobile, temporary and hybridized.
First Page
193
Last Page
201
Recommended Citation
Yu, Jianhua. 2016. "Rethinking Writers’ Ethnic Identity: Essentialism vs. Free Choice." Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art 36, (6): pp.193-201. https://tsla.researchcommons.org/journal/vol36/iss6/17
