Multiple Crises In The Struggle

Masculinity study, especially the crisis of masculinity study, is one of important aspects in gender studies, which can correct the tendency of replace the gender studies by only feminism. Chinese-American male group have experienced even are still experiencing a serious crisis because of the special historical factors and circumstances. Its roots have not only the universality but also the particularity, and come from culture, gender, social and other aspects. The masculinity study with carrier of Chinese American Literature has been beyond the scope of literature study, but involved sociology, psychology and other fields. Since the 1960s, the composition, situation and mentality of Chinese-American are partly consistent with the old days while there have been also some changes. These changes were reflected by literary works through image building, plot and symbolism. Especially in and after 1970s and 1980s, Chinese-American literature paid much more attention to the solvent of Chinese-American masculinity and the foundation of Chinese men image, and writers made some valid attempts. In short, the Chinese American masculinity studies mixed ethnic studies, gender studies, historical studies and literature studies together. This topic is not only an academic issue as masculinity studies in the macro picture of a part, but also has got practical significance in rescuing the Chinese-American males out of the crisis, construction of masculinity and their self-positioning.The foreword describes the brief situation of masculinity research, drawing the big picture of it and locating Chinese-American masculinity in this big picture from universal and concrete angle respectively.The main body of this paper is divided into three parts. The first section describes the expression way and contents of the dilemma of masculinity in Chinese-American literature. Chinese-American men lived far away from their homeland, and they also lived far away from their traditional living environment and ideological system, becoming a rootless generation. Basically American society has tended to excluding Chinese-American men. Even if in the 1960s the attitude is not "kick away" any more, it is still not really acceptable. At the same time, Chinese women walked out of the extremely low status in feudal China and reached a wider world, having improved greatly their social identity and self-awareness. Besides, Chinese men in this era do not belong do main stream of American society while do not belong to traditional China. However, the next generation is completely expecting for getting into American society. So Chinese-American men in 1960s were trapped in the embarrassment of no successor. To sum up, they are facing male crisis of being far away from the spiritual father, declining of the husband status and lacking of inherits crisis.The second section digs more deeply to explore the root of Chinese-American masculinity crisis with line of the post-colonial thoughts. Firstly, it discussed Chinese American masculinity crisis from angles of universality and particularity respectively. Comparing other masculinity crisis, the expression of Chinese-American males'crisis is similar, but its root cause is very special. As ethnic minorities, Chinese men are facing exclusion and the need of their labors at the same time. And hence it involves the issues of racial and ethnic characteristics in the United States. On the one hand, ideal American society is should have equal coexistence of various ethnic and melting of cultures; on the other hand, in fact the American society has been castrating and feminizing Chinese males, which is most basic cause of Chinese-American masculinity crisis. At the meanwhile Chinese women has got position advancement and ideological progress because of the relatively free environment, relatively advanced female concepts, deepened male crisis and the American society as a relatively developed society which are more corresponding to female characteristics. This process was going with male crisis and they caused each other.The third session is on the construction of Chinese American masculinity. Given the serious crisis, it is an important mission for Chinese-American males to find themselves. To this end, there are three forces that cannot be ignored. The first one is the strength of the external reference. Jewish-American men and Chinese-American men has similarities and differences. Jewish men had also experienced a crisis, but ultimately they constructed their image successfully successful basing the national ideology and cohesiveness, which is worthy of referencing. The Chinese tradition is the second force. Frank Chin and other representative writers have tried construction of Chinese heroism using traditional images such as "Guan Gong", forming a new Chinese masculinity which is both strong and intellectual. However, it needs more efforts to distinguish the temperament of Chinese intellectuals and the feminization of men. The third comes from women. In addition to the construction of national image, the harmonious coexistence between is also the crucial mission of Chinese-American males image building, suggesting one of the essences of the latter. The efforts from both sides would build the herd's power and interests. Chinese women who are living in a better situation will understand the positive significance of Chinese masculinity building in both national image and relations between two sexes and they will contribute to this building process.In short, the 1960s Chinese-American masculinity crisis and construction is a multidisciplinary field. The dig on this subject has the irreplaceable significance for this group out of gender stereotypes, out of the post-colonial limitations and in balancing of coexistence between the sexes.