This paper discusses the history of Chinese and Japanese emigrants in the formation of the American identity as related in Ronald Takaki's "A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America".
Abstract This paper relates that the success of both Chinese and Japanese emigrants symbolizes their efforts in constructing an industrialized and agricultural America. The author points out that, because of hardship and discrimination, both groups formed their own communities and labor unions in order to strive for labor rights for their contributions, which gradually developed strong alliances with their own cultural values and thus helped to create a multicultural America that resists notions of assimilation. The paper concludes that, if the history of these ethnic groups were eliminated, there would be blank pages in the history of America because this people built the wealth of America.
From the Paper "In the 1800s, America was sought as a "New World" of opportunities and a better life for emigrants who were "pushed" out of their country by economic depression and "pulled" by hopes and dreams of fortune. Many Chinese migrants came to America to seek sanctuary from intense revolts and harsh economic conditions in China caused by the British Opium War (Takaki 192). The Japanese emigrated to America for similar reasons as the Chinese. 1868 was the year of the Japanese Meiji Reform and the government financed national defense by heavy taxing in order to establish a strong centralized society."
A look at how Rushdie's book illustrates the evil of religious fanaticism by demonstrating the degradation of truth associated with religious fanaticism.
1,030 words (approx. 4.1 pages), 1 source, 1999, $ 36.95
From the Paper "Salman Rushdie's The Satanic Verses recounts the saga of two Indians, Saladin Chamcha and Gibreel Farishta, after their airplane crashes above the English Channel. Employing the technique of magic realism, the novel unfolds through both the genuine experiences and dreams of the characters."
Abstract This paper looks at the diversity of religions in America. It discusses problems such as the challenge of large groups to maintain a communal social focus with encountering natural differences and factions that will come from geographical and regional diversity. The methods religious groups use to retain and expand their faithful 'flocks' are looked at, and the effect of improved communications on religion is discussed also.
From the Paper "The United States is one of the most religious countries on earth and has been for many years. Many of the people who originally came during the first years of colonization were those who held beliefs which were different from the prevailing or government-approved religions in their home countries and endured the privation and isolation of establishing new homes in a wilderness area primarily to escape religious persecution. At least in principle, the United States espouses freedom of religion, going so far as to constitutionally provide for separation of church and state, to prevent either the undue influence of religious factions into what should be unbiased legislative workings, or government influence assisting or impeding the freedom of the individual to worship as s/he pleases.
What has changed are the environment in which religion is practiced, a trend in the last few decades toward recognition of marginalized or "other voices", and the role that religion plays in the lives of Americans faced with increasing choices in their daily lives."
Abstract This paper looks at women's role in Japan's modern era development. Their presence and influence is shown by looking outside the events of conventional historical record. The powerful political influence of ruling class women in ancient Japanese society is looked at. The Edo period is seen as the era that forced women to be subordinate and the influence of the West the factor which began to open Japanese women to participation in social spheres once more.
From the Paper "Studies of Japan's modern era development emphasize its industry, bureaucracy and military, focusing on the political, merchant and capitalist elite and ignoring those upon whom the major costs of development was imposed, particularly women. Japan's modernization came at a social cost borne by the poor, the disadvantaged and women (Hane, 1982). Although their contribution has typically been marginalized, women contributed significantly to the development process in many ways.
Japanese women had an essential role in the domestic sphere and in the economy, but their influence and contributions did not move them toward sexual and legal equality, as was the case for women in the west. This was primarily due to the social and legal conservative imperatives relegating women to the lowest status of every class strata; however, their presence and influence may be seen by taking a larger, and peripheral, view outside the events of conventional historical record."
Tags: Japanese, subordinate, submissive, society, meiji, edo, buddhist
Abstract A look at the origins of Indian culture with emphasis on Indian music and dance. The author examines the roots of music and dance from legends, myths and ancient scripts and provides an understanding of the historical foundation of Indian music and dance.
From the Paper "The history of Indian music and dance is one of the oldest unbroken artistic traditions in the world. It is said that the origins of this system go back to the Vedas, the ancient scripts of the Hindus. Numerous legends have grown up concerning the origins and development of Indian classical music and dance. Such legends illustrate the importance both that music and dance have had in defining Indian culture, especially from a religious perspective. This investigation is meant to explore the historical foundation of Indian music to ascertain a better understanding of the classical form."
Abstract This paper compares the level of women's rights in the two countries. It compares historical voting rights, political power, positions in legislative systems, domestic violence, infanticide and the one child policy. There is also an account of Chinese women's prison. Includes many numerical comparison and discusses cloaking of actual figures by government agencies.
From the paper:
"The "China Daily," discusses women's rights in China in a positive manner, bringing up several points that show women in China have no fewer rights than women in the United States. Unfortunately, there are many topics that were not discussed in this paper, that prove women in China still have a long road ahead of them in achieving true equal rights.
The article says that women of China did not have to wait 144 years after the forming of a constitution to vote. "American women belatedly obtained equal voting rights 144 years after the founding of the United States, while Chinese women were grated such rights immediately after the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949" (Editors, 1995)."
Abstract The paper discusses figures of sight and blindness used in the play "M Butterfly" examining Gallimard and Song's relationship in the greatest detail. A look at the Western depiction of Eastern women.
From the paper:
"David Henry Hwang uses figures of seeing and not-seeing to depict the relationship between the East and the West in his play M. Butterfly, an inversion of Puccini's opera Madame Butterfly. Gallimard can turn a blind eye to the fact that Song is a man in disguise because of his deeply-ingrained, stereotypically Western fantasy of Eastern women as submissive, fragile ?Madame Butterflies.? Gallimard is so enamored of the Madame Butterfly fantasy that he cannot see past it, and he is blinded to the obvious fact that his "Butterfly" is a far cry from the original."
Tags: butterfly, colonial, cultural, david, east, english, henry, hwang, multi, play, post, studies, west
Abstract The author focuses on the rituals, beliefs and practices of native Korea and details the way these elements have continued as part of the modern Korean culture. Religious faiths are discussed as the foundational system used for the aforementioned elements.
From the Paper "The Korean culture has come a long way in recent years. The society itself is modernizing and the mindsets of those who have spent their lives within its boundaries are changing to match the globalization progress. While Korea is working to modernize there are certain practices that they plan on keeping no matter how modern they get."
Abstract This paper examines the struggle to change the accepted division of labor in Japan, and how women have struggled for social and economic choice and equality within the context of the country's culture and infrastructure. The paper explains women's current situation with regard to work, the cultural perspective on women working, and what women have done to change the situation.
From the Paper "In a recent article in the women's magazine Mademoiselle, entitled ?Gucci Geisha,? the anthropologist Liza Dalby stated, "If I had to chose between being a typical Japanese wife or a geisha, no question, I"d be a geisha.? (Mademoiselle, March 2001, 76) Dalby is hardly making an uninformed choice. She spent nine months working in the Pontocho district, near Gion, while studying the life of geisha. Her view of the circumscribed nature of the life of a typical Japanese wife is a common one, as is stated even more explicitly in chapter five of the reader Gender, Race, and Ethnicity, 'Some Interesting Differences in Subjective Culture': 'Americans are often impressed by the fact that Japanese wives generally do not participate in the social activities of their husbands, which the Americans consider a clear sign of inferiority. But Japanese wives see it differently: "I have to be on my best behavior in front of my husband's colleagues, and make a good impression on his superiors which is very humiliating for a woman of pride who feels that having to be ingratiating with other people she does not instinctively like is degrading and can be left to professionals like bar hostesses or geisha?""
Abstract This paper provides an in-depth look at the Japanese economy before and after the collapse of the Tokyo stock-market which occurred at the start of the current recession. It shows how Japan was considered to be the perfect economy and idealized by the West with regard to its statistics on growth, unemployment and productivity. Causes of the collapse are analyzed. The writer presents many statistics about the current economic state and looks at the government's plans to boost the economy.
From the Paper "The revisionists asserted that, in contrast to the open-market capitalism of the "Anglo-American" model, Japan practiced a unique form of state-directed insider capitalism. Under that model, close relationships among business executives, bankers, and government officials strongly influence economic outcomes. By strategically allocating capital through a tightly controlled banking system, they argued, Japan would drive foreign competitors out of sector after sector, leading eventually to world economic domination. (Thompson, 1997)
"Sooner or later, the United States must come to grips with the fact that Japan has become the leading industrial nation in the world. The Japanese have the longest life span. They have the highest employment, the highest literacy, and the smallest gap between rich and poor. Their manufacturing products have the highest quality."
Abstract China officially joined the World Trade Organization last year after a long series of negotiations. The entry of China into this world body has aroused mixed emotions among business analysts in the United States. Proponents feel that it will help Chinese economy and make its industries more competitive, while opponents are of the view that United States employment rate will be badly hurt by China's accession to WTO. China will certainly stand to benefit from increased trend towards global sourcing and the paper studies China's entry with reference to this particular issue.
From the Paper "China today enjoys a prominent position in the world because it is one of the fastest growing markets and this makes it the center of attention for the global businesses. The country has been introducing trade reforms since a long time now and in its attempt to become a major part of the world community, it offered to join World Trade Organization, which already has 142 members. But accession has not been a smooth journey for China because it was after almost 15 years that it was finally granted entry into this trade body. But it is felt that with the entry of China, things are going to change dramatically for businesses in Asia Pacific region and also for those firms that are on the look out for global emerging markets. In the past few years globalization has been the major trend for all large businesses especially the ones in the United States. The American corporate world has been engaged in global sourcing for sometime and with the entry of China in WTO, it is almost certain that these firms would find a wider market and sourcing would increase rapidly with China opening its doors to businesses around the world. "
Abstract This paper discusses the way in which Amy Tan manages to weave the theme of cross cultures and identities in most of her works, focusing on "The Hundred Secret Senses." It describes the main character of Kwan who also represents this confusion and uncertainty of her identity.
From the Paper "As is suggested by its title, The Hundred Secret Senses, Amy Tan's work of fiction suggests that there are senses that go beyond the five customary ones individuals think of when analyzing the ways that human beings perceptually relate to the world. Tan is a writer primarily interested in how individuals located between cultures conceptualize their identities. She suggests that identity and truth, are mutable and constantly in flux, dependent upon perceptions that lie deeper than the material world. Two of three main characters in the text are bi-racial, the half-white and half-Chinese Olivia Yee and her half-Hawaiian husband Simon."
A study of the preconditions and policies required for economic growth and why some Asia-Pacific countries have failed to achieve sustainable long-term growth.
Abstract A study into why certain Asia-Pacific countries such as Cambodia fail to reach long-term economic growth and an explanation of the conditions and policies needed in an economic climate to achieve this growth.
The paper covers the following topics:
Preconditions for faster economic growth
Policies for faster economic growth
Asia Pacific LDCs (Least Developed Countries) & Cambodia
The paper is filled with examples and recent statistics of countries including USA, Australia, Taiwan, Europe, Japan, Cambodia, and Asia-Pacific LDCs in general.
From the Paper "According to McTaggart et al, there are several pre-conditions for economic growth. One of which is the existence of an institutional framework that is crucial to the creation of incentives. This institutional framework included markets (supply and demand), property rights, facilities for monetary exchange, as well as simple and transparent regulatory systems (1999: 32.7). Market prices send signals to buys and sellers that create incentives to increase or decrease the quantities demanded and supplied. Markets also enable people to specialise and trade and to save and invest. Property rights are the social arrangements that govern the ownership, use and disposal of factors of production and goods and services (McTaggart et al, 1999:32.17). They include the rights to physical property, to financial property and to intellectual property. The existence of property rights and their enforcement by the law provide people with certainty in their business dealings and hence they help provide macroeconomic stability and a pre-condition for growth."
Abstract In 1992 South Korea stood as a model of prosperity and economic innovation. Only three years later, South Korea followed the rest of East Asia into an economic meltdown. This paper gives a detailed economic history of South Korea and examines the harsh economic policies imposed by the IMF at the start of the Asian financial crisis that led to the economy's eventual collapse in 1998. It also examines how three years on, South Korea faces an unbalanced recovery and a labor movement badly wounded by neo-liberalism, while the majority of its people suffer rising insecurity and falling incomes.
From the Paper "The chaebol are huge, highly diversified, often vertically integrated conglomerates. (South Korea Business) The monoliths started out as small family-run businesses shortly after the war, and many still are family owned and operated. Hyundai and Samsung are two of the best known. "The chaebol account for about one-third of all industrial production, which forms the core of the Korean economy." (South Korea Business) Some critics say the chaebol have a finger in so many pies, and thus control so much of the overall economy, that they are, in effect, oligopolists, and are able to engage in price collusion. (South Korea Business) "
From the Paper "During World War II, the United States interned Japanese residents of the Western states in internment camps such as that at Manzanar in California. The reason was indicated in Executive Order 9066, signed in 1942 by President Roosevelt to give authority to the War Department to define military areas in the western states and to exclude anyone who might be seen as threatening the war effort (Houston and Houston xi-xii). Japanese living in the Western states were seen as potential subversives and were summarily removed to camps to prevent this. The camps operated until after the surrender of Japan, though the U.S. Supreme Court ruled at the end of 1944 that loyal citizens could not be held in detention camps against their will (Houston and Houston, 1973, xii). The United States was wrong to place any Japanese who had not committed any offense into..."
