Jin Suh Jirn - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Jin Suh Jirn
Jacques Derrida's deconstruction of logocentrism-a central aspect of his anti-foundationalist rea... more Jacques Derrida's deconstruction of logocentrism-a central aspect of his anti-foundationalist reading of Western philosophy-relies on a false opposition between European and Chinese writing systems and, despite its aim to undo or "interrupt" the logic of ethnocentrism, reinforces the notion of China as other to Western civilization. This Derridean misreading may be placed within a larger context: that of poststructuralism's liaison with all things China. By referring to the work of other theorists such as Michel Foucault, Roland Barthes and Julia Kristeva, I will show how Derrida's "stereotyping" of China is in many ways indicative of a larger strain of Orientalist thought within Parisian intellectual circles throughout the late sixties and early seventies. This strain of thought manifests itself in a marked tendency to view China as a theoretical abstraction used to affirm or deny knowledge about the West and the Chinese language as ideographic "antitype" to the body of Western culture and tradition.
EurAmerica Vol. 45, No. 2 (June 2015), 279-299
This article will reconsider Edward W. Said's notion of "traveling theory" in light of his most i... more This article will reconsider Edward W. Said's notion of "traveling theory" in light of his most influential work Orientalism and its appropriation of Michel Foucault's theory of "discourse," which has prompted criticism from a number of scholars, including James Clifford and Robert J. C. Young. Rather than looking at the question of whether Said misappropriates the work of Foucault, I will, via Harold Bloom's concept of "misprision," argue that he "misreads" the French philosopher in order to add a political valence that is missing or attenuated in the original work. Also, I will show why Said is less concerned with constructing a theory of Orientalism than with speaking truth to power about the distorted image of the Proofreaders: Chih-wei Wu, Hsih-Keng Yen, Fang-Yi Chen * Many thanks to Richard Terdiman for reading and commenting on an earlier draft of this work. 280 EURAMERICA non-EuroAmerican other in Western art and culture, and its impact on global politics and history.
Inter-Asia Cultural Studies
Since the mid-2000s, multiculturalism has become a prominent buzzword in South Korea as the natio... more Since the mid-2000s, multiculturalism has become a prominent buzzword in South Korea as the nation, which was founded on the myth of a single bloodline, tries to come to terms with its growing foreign population. This article looks at the figure of the industrial migrant worker who, despite being ignored by the mainstream media, has appeared in a handful of independently produced Korean films, including three-Bandhobi (2009), Hello, Stranger , Where Is Ronny? (2008)-that will be discussed here in detail. These films, as I will show, not only provide an alternative perspective on immigrant life in Seoul and other parts of the country, which is more often than not represented through the privileged world of the Western "expat," but also reveal the underlying tensions and contradictions in Korea's approach to multiculturalism as it tries to regulate diversity through the fiat of legislative policy while ignoring the moral and political choices confronting its citizens as they decide whether or not to befriend the other.
Following the Revolution of 1789, France underwent what was by all accounts a radical makeover. W... more Following the Revolution of 1789, France underwent what was by all accounts a radical makeover. With the fall of the ancien régime came a new society whose figurehead was the bourgeois monad. Money and wealth superseded rank and nobility as markers of social status while questions of culture were settled within a public sphere that was more inclusive and mass-oriented.
Despite his background in the performing arts, Eugène Atget (1857--1927) took a rather modest vie... more Despite his background in the performing arts, Eugène Atget (1857--1927) took a rather modest view of the photographic work for which he became famous, shunning any association with what might be labeled as "art." Written on the front door of his nondescript studio in Paris was the inscription: Documents pour artistes.
Jacques Derrida's deconstruction of logocentrism-a central aspect of his anti-foundationalist rea... more Jacques Derrida's deconstruction of logocentrism-a central aspect of his anti-foundationalist reading of Western philosophy-relies on a false opposition between European and Chinese writing systems and, despite its aim to undo or "interrupt" the logic of ethnocentrism, reinforces the notion of China as other to Western civilization. This Derridean misreading may be placed within a larger context: that of poststructuralism's liaison with all things China. By referring to the work of other theorists such as Michel Foucault, Roland Barthes and Julia Kristeva, I will show how Derrida's "stereotyping" of China is in many ways indicative of a larger strain of Orientalist thought within Parisian intellectual circles throughout the late sixties and early seventies. This strain of thought manifests itself in a marked tendency to view China as a theoretical abstraction used to affirm or deny knowledge about the West and the Chinese language as ideographic "antitype" to the body of Western culture and tradition.
EurAmerica Vol. 45, No. 2 (June 2015), 279-299
This article will reconsider Edward W. Said's notion of "traveling theory" in light of his most i... more This article will reconsider Edward W. Said's notion of "traveling theory" in light of his most influential work Orientalism and its appropriation of Michel Foucault's theory of "discourse," which has prompted criticism from a number of scholars, including James Clifford and Robert J. C. Young. Rather than looking at the question of whether Said misappropriates the work of Foucault, I will, via Harold Bloom's concept of "misprision," argue that he "misreads" the French philosopher in order to add a political valence that is missing or attenuated in the original work. Also, I will show why Said is less concerned with constructing a theory of Orientalism than with speaking truth to power about the distorted image of the Proofreaders: Chih-wei Wu, Hsih-Keng Yen, Fang-Yi Chen * Many thanks to Richard Terdiman for reading and commenting on an earlier draft of this work. 280 EURAMERICA non-EuroAmerican other in Western art and culture, and its impact on global politics and history.
Inter-Asia Cultural Studies
Since the mid-2000s, multiculturalism has become a prominent buzzword in South Korea as the natio... more Since the mid-2000s, multiculturalism has become a prominent buzzword in South Korea as the nation, which was founded on the myth of a single bloodline, tries to come to terms with its growing foreign population. This article looks at the figure of the industrial migrant worker who, despite being ignored by the mainstream media, has appeared in a handful of independently produced Korean films, including three-Bandhobi (2009), Hello, Stranger , Where Is Ronny? (2008)-that will be discussed here in detail. These films, as I will show, not only provide an alternative perspective on immigrant life in Seoul and other parts of the country, which is more often than not represented through the privileged world of the Western "expat," but also reveal the underlying tensions and contradictions in Korea's approach to multiculturalism as it tries to regulate diversity through the fiat of legislative policy while ignoring the moral and political choices confronting its citizens as they decide whether or not to befriend the other.
Following the Revolution of 1789, France underwent what was by all accounts a radical makeover. W... more Following the Revolution of 1789, France underwent what was by all accounts a radical makeover. With the fall of the ancien régime came a new society whose figurehead was the bourgeois monad. Money and wealth superseded rank and nobility as markers of social status while questions of culture were settled within a public sphere that was more inclusive and mass-oriented.
Despite his background in the performing arts, Eugène Atget (1857--1927) took a rather modest vie... more Despite his background in the performing arts, Eugène Atget (1857--1927) took a rather modest view of the photographic work for which he became famous, shunning any association with what might be labeled as "art." Written on the front door of his nondescript studio in Paris was the inscription: Documents pour artistes.