Wearing the Cheongsam: Dress and Culture in a Chinese Diaspora (Dress Cultures)

About the Author\nCheryl Sim is Managing Director and Curator at Phi Foundation for Contemporary Art, Montreal, Canada.\nAssociations between the cheongsam dress and Chinese cultural identity are well known but what are the meanings of the cheongsam for members of the Chinese diaspora? In a study grounded in first-hand accounts of wearing, Cheryl Sim explores the practices and experiences of women in Canada, a major Chinese diaspora, and carries out the first in-depth study of the cheongsam from this critical point of view.\nQuestions explored over the course of 20 interviews, as well as during personal reflections on the author's own experiences of wearing, include: is there a desire to re-claim or appropriate the cheongsam? Does this desire risk perpetuating stereotypes of Asian women? Does it undermine one's identification with one's host country? Can erased heritage(s) be accessed through dress? And how does wearing the cheongsam interact with the male gaze? Revealing feelings of repulsion and attraction, Sim combines personal stories with an authoritative use of theoretical frameworks such as feminism, post-colonialism and autoethnography.\nCovering issues such as heritage, ethnic identity, authenticity, nationalism, patriarchy and assimilation, Sim demonstrates that the meanings of the cheongsam are multifarious. Readable but with strong academic underpinnings, this book is the entry point into discussions of Chinese dress and diaspora.

Arts & Photography

Sim, Cheryl

Graphic Design

Bloomsbury Visual Arts

Associations between the cheongsam dress and Chinese cultural identity are well known but what are the meanings of the cheongsam for members of the Chinese diaspora? In a study grounded in first-hand accounts of wearing, Cheryl Sim explores the practices and experiences of women in Canada, a major Chinese diaspora, and carries out the first in-depth study of the cheongsam from this critical point of view.
Questions explored over the course of 20 interviews, as well as during personal reflections on the author's own experiences of wearing, include: is there a desire to re-claim or appropriate the cheongsam? Does this desire risk perpetuating stereotypes of Asian women? Does it undermine one's identification with one's host country? Can erased heritage(s) be accessed through dress? And how does wearing the cheongsam interact with the male gaze? Revealing feelings of repulsion and attraction, Sim combines personal stories with an authoritative use of theoretical frameworks such as feminism, post-colonialism and autoethnography.
Covering issues such as heritage, ethnic identity, authenticity, nationalism, patriarchy and assimilation, Sim demonstrates that the meanings of the cheongsam are multifarious. Readable but with strong academic underpinnings, this book is the entry point into discussions of Chinese dress and diaspora.

Yoko Ono is a leading experimental and avant-garde artist. In Tokyo during the 1950s, she introduced original questions about the concept of art and the art object, breaking down the traditional boundaries between branches of art. She has since been associated with conceptual art, performance, Fluxus, and 1960s happenings—one of the few women to participate in these movements. Through her performances and activism, she created a new kind of relationship with both spectators and fellow artists—including her late husband, John Lennon—by inviting them to play an active part in the creative process. In addition, her influence brings together Eastern and Western cultures, which extend and strengthen each other in continuous innovation. Accompanying a major new exhibition of Ono’s work at the Phi Foundation for Contemporary Art in Montreal, this book underscores the cornerstones of action, participation, and imagination in the work of this fascinating artist. Essays by Cheryl Sim, Gunnar B. Kvaran, and Caroline Andrieux first engage with Ono’s instruction works and emphasize the role of the visitor in their completion. They then present the collaborative projects for peace undertaken by Ono and Lennon, including the Acorn project, the War is Over peace campaign, and their “Bed In” projects, which took place fifty years ago. Ultimately, Yoko Ono seeks to impart the artist’s massive impact on contemporary art practices, art reception, and activism through art. Featuring eighty color illustrations, Yoko Ono &amp; John Lennon brings to life not only the urgency and spirit of Ono’s work, but also her belief in the importance of non-violent action to inspire political and social change.

Yoko Ono.Growing Freedom: Liberté Conquérante / Growing Freedom

Kvaran, Gunnar B.

Architecture

Hirmer Publishers

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Sim, Cheryl. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Sim, Cheryl

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Sim, Cheryl. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Wearing the Cheongsam: Dress and Culture in a Chinese Diaspora (Dress Cultures)

Wearing the Cheongsam: Dress and Culture in a Chinese Diaspora (Dress Cultures)

Yoko Ono.Growing Freedom: Liberté Conquérante / Growing Freedom