Between Bruce Lee and the houseboy: The creation of Chinese American masculinities through literature

Masculine identity formation has been a consistent theme in Chinese American literature for over a century because of the interconnectedness of gender, race, and socio-economic conditions in the historical oppression of Chinese American men. On the topic of Chinese American male identity formation, many points of connection exist between masculinity studies, feminist theory, and queer theory. This work analyzes the construction of Chinese American masculinities beginning with the origins of Chinese America through to the modern day.; This thesis focuses on Chinese American literature and the interplay between Chinese American female writers and Chinese American male writers in the creation of images depicting Chinese and Chinese American men. Through the study of works by Sui Sin Far, Amy Tan, Louis Chu, David Henry Hwang, and Russell Leong, this thesis addresses the importance of history in the construction and destruction of negative stereotypes, which suggest that Chinese men are demasculinized. Through the examination of social and psychological consequences stemming from the internalization of derogatory images, the importance of self-definition through writing becomes evident.