Historical Overview of the Development of Chinese-American Cultural Identities from the 1880s to the 21st Century through Chinese-American Literary Studies

Chinese-American literature appeared on the main stage of literature in the 1960s, when the African-American Civil Rights Movement happened in the United States and invoked the self-identity and self-dignity of different ethnic groups along with their culture. Thus, more and more Chinese Americans began to take notice of their identity crises at that moment. Like many other minority racial groups, Chinese Americans had been marginalized and had suffered from discrimination, for they could neither foster their identity relying on Chinese culture nor integrate into American mainstream culture. This state of affairs made Chinese-American writers pay special attention to the identity of Chinese-American groups and cultural identity became the main issue they were seeking for in their works. This thesis uses literary analysis and personal narratives, together with theories drawing from diasporas studies, cultural studies, and globalization studies to draw conclusions on Chinese American literature and the elements that affected the Chinese American identities shown in American literary works. These elements include social background, family background, genders, generations and their life experiences.