Poly-Ethnic Literature

Paper Summary:

This paper looks at the renaissance of the ethnic novel, despite the fact that the world is becoming poly-ethnic, or a global village. It discusses ethnicity within novels in a number of cultures and countries, providing examples.

From the Paper:

"Dolle emphasizes the influences these cultural histories have on all Americans. He points out that culture is not a static thing but a dynamic entity, constantly changing in response to influences from within and without. While one might think of him or herself as "White," or Lutheran, or male or female, or "second generation Chinese," or Bosnian, all of those labels tell only part of the truth of an individual. Is the Lutheran the child of immigrants from Germany? From Scandinavia? Is that person who self-describes as "second generation Chinese" a person looking to adopt the larger American culture, or trying hard to hold on to Chinese heritage? Does that person's parents want that individual to assimilate or maintain family traditions? If a person self-describes as Bosnian, does this mean Bosnian as a sub-culture of central Europe, or Bosnian only in legal identity on the individual's passport, technically coming from the country of that name but identifying with, say, Serbian culture?"

More papers on Poly-Ethnic Literature:

• Descriptive Essay # 105922 : "American Ethnic Literature"
• Comparison Essay # 113111 : "Ethnic Literature and Film an America"
• Term Paper # 112400 : "Migrant Literature"

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