Cultural Identity or Transnationality in the Prose of Siu, Wong, and Yushimito

Abstract

This essay focuses on the literary texts of three writers from the Chinese and Japanese communities in Peru and the question of identity. First, I compare the novels La vida no es una tómbola by Siu Kam Wen and Bocetos para un cuadro de familia by Julia Wong in order to show how the Chinese community defines its place in the family and society. I also analyze the short stories of Carlos Yushimito (Lecciones… and Los bosques tienen sus propias puertas) using the concept of “cultural transnationality.” My methodological approach is based on recent social and anthropological studies that emphasize the importance of concepts like “transnationality”, “transnationalism” and “deterritorialized citizenship,” like Linda Basch’s et al., Nations Unbound (1994).