The Englishized Subject Postcolonial Writings in Hong Kong, Singapor
This book addresses issues of how the cultures in Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia have been Englishized in postcolonial and globcalized contexts, not just in terms of language, but also in writers’/people’s subjectivity. Taking a cultural-literary appro
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The Englishized Subject Postcolonial Writings in Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia
The Englishized Subject
Kwok-kan Tam
The Englishized Subject Postcolonial Writings in Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia
Kwok-kan Tam The Hang Seng University of Hong Kong Shatin, Hong Kong
ISBN 978-981-13-2519-9 ISBN 978-981-13-2520-5 (eBook) https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-2520-5 Library of Congress Control Number: 2018957316 © Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2019 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors, and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. This Springer imprint is published by the registered company Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. The registered company address is: 152 Beach Road, #21-01/04 Gateway East, Singapore 189721, Singapore
Preface
When I traveled in China in the early 1970s, I was often given forms in English to fill in, probably because I did not look like the local Chinese. But after I filled out the forms and submitted them, they would be rejected because I should not have used English for a Hong Kong address. At that time, China insisted Hong Kong was not a colony but a place that originally belonged to China and was acceded to Britain as a result of an unequal treaty forced upon China after the Opium War. Since Hong Kong was part of China’s sovereignty, I should not use English. Filling in a Hong Kong address in English was of course politically incorrect. This was my first experience with the politics of English. When I was traveling in Europe in the 1980s without a passport, I could only prove my identity by showing an identity paper issued by the Hong Kong government which stated that I was Chinese living in Hong Kong without Chinese or British nationality. Nothing in the paper said anything further about what I was. The immigration officers looked with suspicion at my identity paper, which was partly damaged because of frequent use. I felt I was treated as someone,
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