Sinoglossia

Book excerpt: Sinoglossia places the terms of embodiment, mediality, and translation at the center of analytical inquiry into Chinese and Sinophone cultures. Converging in the rubric of Sinoglossia, the chapters in this volume introduce a theory defined by cultural formations not overdetermined by Sinitic linguistic ties. The concept of Sinoglossia combines a heteroglossic and a heterotopian approach to the critical study of mediated discourses of China and Chineseness. From the history of physical examinations and queer subalternity to the cinematic inscription of Chineseness-as-landscape, and from Sinopop to the translational writings of Eileen Chang and Syaman Rapongan, this book argues for a flexible conceptualization of cultural objects, conditions, and contexts that draws attention to an array of polyphonic, multi-discursive, and multilingual articulations. In this new horizon of understanding, place or topos necessarily constitutes the possibility of friction and source of innovation. “Sinoglossia opens new possibilities for critical studies of China, Chineseness, and Chinese cultures. Bringing together pathbreaking scholarship from diverse perspectives, and highlighting multiplicity and heterogeneity on a range of topics, this volume is a vital addition to a range of fields.” —Karen L. Thornber, Harvard University “Vitally centering and theorizing processes of embodiment, mediality, and translation, this timely and rich volume—simultaneously reflective, speculative, comparative, and historically informed—convincingly articulates Sinoglossia as a flexible, heterogeneous approach to intercultural phenomena tenuously identified as Chinese or Sinophone.” —Brian Bernards, University of Southern California