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5 Asian L. J. 99 (1998)
Invention, Inversion and Intervention: The Oriental Woman in The World of Suzie Wong, M. Butterfly, and The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert

handle is hein.journals/aslj5 and id is 105 raw text is: Invention, Inversion and Intervention: The Oriental Woman in The World of Suzie Wong, M. Butterfly, and The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert Peter Kwant The construction of the Oriental Woman-a fictional character of the Western imagination-can be dissected, according to Professor Kwan, by means of a cosynthetic analysis. The cosynthetic analysis is a means of understanding how certain stereotypes emerge out of a confluence of ra- cial, sexual, gender, class and other identities. These identities interact in a catalytic manner, creating a stereotype that cannot be reduced to its parts. Kwan identifies this particular stereotype as often times the result of peculiar Western tropes such as the White Knight trope and the racial phallus, as demonstrated in the first two films referenced. Yet the very same Oriental Woman can be used to validate white deviancy, as shown in the final film discussed This novel use of the Oriental Woman con- struct is accomplished by some alternative juxtapositions which never- theless depend on the same cosynthesis of attributes, demonstrating the durability of the stereotype. Introduction .............................................................................................. 100 I. Constructing the Oriental Woman .................................................... 102 A. The World of Suzie Wong .......................................................... 102 B . M . Butterfly.... ........................................................................... 104 C. The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert ..................... 106 II. Domination and Domestication: Cosynthesis and the Fantasy of the Oriental W om an ................................................................................ 108 A. Cosynthesis and the Seduction of the Oriental Woman ............ 110 B. Cosynthesis and the Racial Phallus ........................................... 116 C. Cosynthesis and Violence Against the Oriental Woman .......... 126 III. Intersectionality and Post-Intersectionality Theories ....................... 133 © 1998 Asian Law Journal, Inc. t Assistant Professor of Lav, Santa Clara University School of Law. This Article has bene- fited from the valuable help and constructive comments of my friends Professors Robert Chang, Mar- garet Chon and Adrienne Davis. I dedicate this Article to my father.

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