An Interdisciplinary Approach to Teaching Social Theory and Literature in Falling Leaves

An Interdisciplinary Approach to Teaching Social Theory and Literature in Falling Leaves

This study takes a sociological approach to exploring the notion of structure and agency in Adeline Yen Mah’s Falling Leaves: The Memoir of an Unwanted Chinese Daughter. Structure and agency, one of the oldest debates in the social sciences, seeks to determine whether human beings are able to exercise agency over social structures and the numerous obstacles that come their way, or whether they are inevitably subject to such boundaries. Falling Leaves is an autobiography based on the author’s traumatic experiences of facing alienation and rejection from her own family. Throughout the book, the author describes how she goes about addressing the unending emotional abuse that she must endure and demonstrates a powerful determination to transcend her misfortunes. Furthermore, the story is narrated against the backdrop of a socio-political turbulence during an era in which China faces ongoing political trials and upheaval; as such, the author juxtaposes her own calamities against the strife of her country in search for meaning and identity. Through a structure and agency framework, this study focuses on the notion of reflexivity, the process of self-engagement and introspection that individuals employ in order to confront the structural limitations in their lives.