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North American Despicable Man: Race, Class, and the (Re)making of Chinese Masculinities in the United States

North American Despicable Man: Race, Class, and the (Re)making of Chinese Masculinities in the United States
Thursday, January 21, 2016 at 221 Allen Hall, Lecture by Xia Zhang
The popular discourse of “North American despicable man” (beimei weisuo nan” in Chinese and “WSN” in short) is a term that refers to certain recent educated Chinese Immigrant men in the United States who are said to be unable to fit into mainstream American society, to be keen on gaining petty advantage at others’ expense, and to approach desired women with awkwardness. Xia Zhang’s research closely reads online posts drawn from the most visited social websites used by overseas Chinese where netizens hotly debate the issues of “North American Despicable man.” A significant but under-researched source for the study of the remaking of Chinese masculinity ideologies beyond China’s borders.