Homeland and Complexities: Identity search in Selected Mahua Literature: White Ants, Drizzle, Citizenship, and Don’t Mention It Again
- 건국대학교 모빌리티인문학 연구원, 건국대학교 아시아·디아스포라 연구소
- International Journal of Diaspora&Cultural Criticism
- Vol.7 No.2
-
2017.06237 - 265 (29 pages)
- 8

The official records of Mahua literature—namely, literature written by the Malay(si)an Chinese—can be traced back to the 1930s. Although “Mahua” could possibly refer to literature written by Chinese in Malay(si)a in Malay, English, or languages other than Chinese, critics normally apply the term exclusively to literature written in Chinese. The significant quantity and quality of Mahua literature have earned it wide attention regionally and internationally, especially in Taiwan, China, and the United States. Due to the language factor, Mahua is not officially included in the national literature genre of Malaysia. Yet the pool of “Mahua” collection has never shrunk; indeed, it is ever growing. This paper uses four Mahua masterpieces depicting different phases of community life among the Malaysian Chinese since before World War II through the current day—namely, Tie Kang’s novel White Ants (铁抗 <白蚁〉), Xiao Hei’s Drizzle (小黑<细雨纷纷〉), Xu Yuquan’s Citizenship (许裕全 <身分〉), and He Shufang’s Don’t Mention it Again (贺淑芳<别再提起〉)—that the cynical undertone of Mahua is derived from the great anxieties of the marginalized Chinese-speaking community in Malaysia.
1. Introduction
2. Chinese in Malaysia : Political Identity and Vernacular Education
3. “Mahua” Literature
4. White Ants : China as the Home of Reference during the Pre-war Era
5. Drizzle : Loving Malaysia with a Leftist Slant after Independence
6. Citizenship : Identity and Legitimacy of the Malaysian Chinese
7. Don’t Mention it Again : Identity and Freedom of Religion
8. Conclusion
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