In Gina Marchetti's essay she talks about how the Orient is a place where white women are either cultural captives or sacrifices.
social sciences
Description
In Gina Marchetti's essay, she talks about how the Orient is a place where white women are either cultural captives or sacrifices. At the same time, perhaps this exotic and strange space allows white women to identify themselves in very different terms from the gender and racial codes of western culture. Because we could not watch Shanghai Express and you are only watching small clips of both Shanghai and Bitter Tea, think about this question in contemporary terms: Do you think that there is an opportunity for white women to identify themselves in very different terms from the US and even European codes of gender, race, and even class? Is it liberating or scary and more oppressive? I am reminded in this lesson about how relevant the discourse of family values is to US politics and even foreign policy. In this sense, consider how race and notions of imperialism can be tied to cultural beliefs about "family values" either historically or in today's world.
