The Impact of Spatial Mobility on Chinese Females’ Identity Construction:

Abstract

The thesis aims at investigating the impact of spatial mobility on the Chinese female identity construction and how the Chinese-Americans struggle to maintain their ethnic identity within the American society. On the light of Amy Tan’s novel, the study will be achieved through practical study The Joy Luck Club (1989). As a main focus, the analysis will concentrate on the differences between the Chinese mothers and their Americanized daughters in in relation to the process of self-construction. Thus, while the Joy Luck mothers stick to their communal identity, their American born daughters try to assimilate the American culture in order to be accepted within the mainstream society. This study will be divided into three chapters. The first one is a theoretical which discusses the Chinese instability that lead to immigration; in addition the first chapter sheds light on the phenomenon of racism of the American society. The second chapter is theoretical one that depicts the patriarchal domination against the Chinese females and the females’ attempts to free themselves through the immigration illusion. The last chapter is a purely practical which analyses the impact of immigration on the females self- construction.