6/1/2023 0 Comments Chinese mahjongBut when listening to it, clear how it is so involved in larger racist humor. “People are creating whole narratives around the game, much of which portray potential conflict from these boundary crossing elements.And the resolution-a reassertion of white and often violent patriarchy that is seen as light hearted and tongue-in-cheek-is consistent. The song distills cultural anxieties around the game, and what it represents in terms of race and gender: “ was a game and a way to hash out disruption and pushback but in a comedic frame,” continues Heinz. “Meanwhile Pa goes out and kills with a refrain of horrible violence.” Heinz points to disturbing lyrics in one song in particular by The Original Memphis Five, “Since Ma is Playing Mah Jong:” “The narrative is about how Ma is not only physically transforming to have stereotypical Oriental features but also lists of what she is not doing-cooking food, washing dishes,” explains Heinz. The portrayals of mahjong in songs and plays during the 1920s depict growing concerns that were often expressed in comic terms. At the same time, as the popularity of the game soars, the role of women in the home is disrupted as women at play are no longer relegated to keeping house and tending to children. Orientalist consumerism meant white women could appropriate Asian sexuality while maintaining respectability.Īs the game is taken up by white women in the U.S, it moves squarely into the domain of leisure. White middle-class women in the 1920s began experimenting with the notion of “exotic personae and newly accessible forms of sexuality.” Asian cultures were gendered as feminine and Mahjong a feminine pastime. and risks being disruptive in both a racial and gender context,” says Heinz. “When mahjong is taken up by white society and white women…it becomes a feminized pastime in the U.S. In China, it is played by all ages and genders both for pure recreation and for high-stakes gambling. A game more of skill than luck, mahjong requires both strategy and cooperation. ![]() ![]() More elaborate sets came in a tiered wooden case, replete with pullout drawers and were passed down from generation to generation. Traditionally, the tiles are made of bone and bamboo and etched with intricate carvings or brightly colored embossed images. What Heinz calls “a game of the senses,” mahjong is played with sets of tiles, usually with four players. Mahjong is an explicitly Chinese game that originated near Shanghai in the midor late 1800s. Changes in mahjong’s identity occur as the game is transported from China to the United States from the 1920s through the 1960s. The primary identity explored in the book is that of the game itself-and how the representation of mahjong changes depending on its players. Published by Oxford University Press (2021), Heinz explores issues of race, gender, class and leisure in modern American culture. Instead, Heinz found that many had asked the same question and Google provided very few answers and an abundance of theories and misinformation.įast forward a few years and the release of a new book, Mahjong: A Chinese Game and the Making of Modern American Culture. “I thought I could Google and find the answer,” says Heinz. She asked her niece if she knew why her predominantly Jewish friends also played mahjong (neither Jane nor Annelise Heinz is Jewish). Her aunt, the late Jane Heinz, visited her in Kunming-this was during the 2007-2008 academic year-and noticed mahjong being played everywhere. I went knowing I was interested in Chinese and transpacific history, as well as gender and race.” But she wasn’t sure what form it would takeįamily gave her the inspiration she needed. “I was living in China with a partner for a year before beginning graduate school. “It’s my second project idea,” recalls Heinz during a telephone interview. Annelise Heinz, an assistant professor in the history department at the University of Oregon, did not intend to write a book about mahjong.
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