Write an essay that analyzes the movie “Crazy Rich Asians” through the lens of hegemony and class or gender. below is feedback provided about my outline given to me by my professor. and I have also attached the sources that I want used for the paper.
Comments from professor :
I’m not really sure what you are trying to say in this paper. While I get that you want to lift up the film as pushing against traditional Asian stereotypes, the problem is that (as you have in your first point), in this context, you are immersed in Asian society, so they are actually hegemonic. While you can discuss intersections with race, particularly in the sense of Asian-American vs. Asian stereotypes, without any other race present in the film, it is hard to draw too many conclusions, except to “school” a potentially white American audience. There are, on the other hand, many issues to highlight with respect to class and gender. One potential path you might think about is starting with hegemony. Who is the dominant class in this context? What ISAs are in place in the society in Singapore? Why does this make it hard for Rachel to fit in? You could then move from their to class hierarchy, using Marx and valuing people only according to the wealth they possess, rather than Rachel’s many gifts that represent the meritocracy myth. Finally, you could consider how much more difficult it is to navigate this hierarchy as a woman, where Rachel is expected to trade power for patronage and fill a particular role. You definitely need to get a more interesting title. Have some fun with it! How about something like, “Crazy Rich Stereotypes.”