Becoming Global Asia - (Transpacific Studies) by Cheryl Narumi Naruse (Paperback)

About the Book

"Becoming Global Asia centers Singapore as a crucial site for comprehending the uneven effects of colonialism and capitalism. In the wake of the 1997 Asian financial crisis, Singapore initiated socioeconomic policies and branding campaigns to transform its reputation from a culturally sterile and punitive nation to "Global Asia"-an alluring location ideal for economic flourishing. Rather than evaluating the efficacy of state policy, Cheryl Narumi Naruse analyzes how Singapore gained cultural capital and soft power from its anglophonic legibility. By examining genres such as literary anthologies, demographic compilations, coming-of-career narratives, and princess fantasies, Naruse reveals how, as Global Asia, Singapore has emerged as simultaneously a site of imperial desire, a celebrated postcolonial model nation, and an alibi for the continued subjugation of the so-called Third World. Her readings of Global Asia as a formation of postcolonial capitalism offer new conceptual paradigms for understanding postcolonialism, neoliberalism, and empire"--

Book Synopsis

A free ebook version of this title is available through Luminos, University of California Press's Open Access publishing program. Visit www.luminosoa.org to learn more.

Becoming Global Asia centers Singapore as a crucial site for comprehending the uneven effects of colonialism and capitalism. In the wake of the 1997 Asian financial crisis, Singapore initiated socioeconomic policies and branding campaigns to transform its reputation from a culturally sterile and punitive nation to "Global Asia"--an alluring location ideal for economic flourishing. Rather than evaluating the efficacy of state policy, Cheryl Narumi Naruse analyzes how Singapore gained cultural capital and soft power from its anglophonic legibility. By examining genres such as literary anthologies, demographic compilations, coming-of-career narratives, and princess fantasies, Naruse reveals how, as Global Asia, Singapore has emerged as simultaneously a site of imperial desire, a celebrated postcolonial model nation, and an alibi for the continued subjugation of the so-called Third World. Her readings of Global Asia as a formation of postcolonial capitalism offer new conceptual paradigms for understanding postcolonialism, neoliberalism, and empire.

From the Back Cover

"In Becoming Global Asia, Cheryl Narumi Naruse offers a lucid, much-needed theorization of 'postcolonial capitalism'--a mode of sovereignty simultaneously forged against empire and productive of neoliberal governance. An important and original contribution to debates around Global Asia and its cultural forms, with ramifications far beyond Singapore."--Jini Kim Watson, Professor of English and Comparative Literature, New York University

"After Becoming Global Asia, criticism about cultural geopolitics and literary studies that disregards Singapore, or does not center Naruse's cogent analysis on the aesthetics of postcolonial capitalism, will be incomplete. This book demystifies the workings of Asian hypervisibility and the changing configurations of capital and art."--Mohan Ambikaipaker, author of Political Blackness in Multiracial Britain

"If you've ever wondered about the dark side of the idea of 'Global Asia, ' read this book. But if you are looking for evidence that literature can be more than a mere tool of the state and capital, this book is also for you."--Colleen Lye, author of America's Asia: Racial Form and American Literature, 1893-1945

Review Quotes

"Becoming Global Asia helps to set new pathways for Singapore studies, especially in literature, and one wonders how Naruse's framework can help provide directions for fruitful analysis of a broader array of subjects."-- "Quarterly Literary Review Singapore"

"Becoming Global Asia is an important addition to transpacific work in Asian American studies."-- "Journal of Asian American Studies"

"Becoming Global Asia revisits a long neglected area once identified as Malaya, and mostly known today for the city-state called Singapore, on its own terms, and with deep intuitive awareness of both its successes and limitations."-- "Singapore Unbound"

About the Author

Cheryl Narumi Naruse is Assistant Professor of English and the Andrew W. Mellon Assistant Professor in the Humanities at Tulane University.