Reading Esther as a Postcolonial Feminist Icon for Asian Women in Diaspora

The book of Esther has been the subject of a wealth of scholarship which has, at times, presented Esther’s character as antifeminist. Through the framework of postcolonial and feminist theory, this article interprets Esther in light of her marginalised identity. Her position as a Jewish woman in dia...

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Autor principal:	Hatzaw Ciin Sian Siam
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	De Gruyter 2021
Materias:	esther asian theology feminist theory postcolonial theory identity diaspora sexualisation Religion (General) BL1-50
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/a581cf4d021f45fabf3679c64ed44956
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id	oai:doaj.org-article:a581cf4d021f45fabf3679c64ed44956
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:a581cf4d021f45fabf3679c64ed449562021-12-05T14:11:01ZReading Esther as a Postcolonial Feminist Icon for Asian Women in Diaspora2300-657910.1515/opth-2020-0144https://doaj.org/article/a581cf4d021f45fabf3679c64ed449562021-01-01T00:00:00Zhttps://doi.org/10.1515/opth-2020-0144https://doaj.org/toc/2300-6579The book of Esther has been the subject of a wealth of scholarship which has, at times, presented Esther’s character as antifeminist. Through the framework of postcolonial and feminist theory, this article interprets Esther in light of her marginalised identity. Her position as a Jewish woman in diaspora who must hide her ethnicity and assimilate into Persian culture reveals parallels to contemporary Asian women in Western diaspora, due to perpetuated stereotypes of passiveness and submission, and the model minority myth associated with Asian immigration. Esther’s sexualisation reveals further parallels to the fetishisation and sexual exploitation of Asian women. If we read the text in light of her marginalisation, we can highlight the racial and gendered oppression within the existing power structures, as well as the levels of privilege at work within the character dynamics. Esther serves as an example of the potential that lies in recognising positions of privilege, the implications of identity, and understanding different forms of resistance in order to form a liberative theology. This article outlines the position of Asian women and their proximity to whiteness in relation to other BIPOC (black, indigenous, and people of colour) communities, revealing unexpected connections to Esther’s character. By situating Esther within intersectional and interdisciplinary theory, her status as a postcolonial feminist icon emerges. Through her story, Asian women in diaspora may find their experiences reflected in the journey to liberation.Hatzaw Ciin Sian SiamDe Gruyterarticleestherasian theologyfeminist theorypostcolonial theoryidentitydiasporasexualisationReligion (General)BL1-50ENOpen Theology, Vol 7, Iss 1, Pp 001-034 (2021)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	esther asian theology feminist theory postcolonial theory identity diaspora sexualisation Religion (General) BL1-50
spellingShingle	esther asian theology feminist theory postcolonial theory identity diaspora sexualisation Religion (General) BL1-50 Hatzaw Ciin Sian Siam Reading Esther as a Postcolonial Feminist Icon for Asian Women in Diaspora
description	The book of Esther has been the subject of a wealth of scholarship which has, at times, presented Esther’s character as antifeminist. Through the framework of postcolonial and feminist theory, this article interprets Esther in light of her marginalised identity. Her position as a Jewish woman in diaspora who must hide her ethnicity and assimilate into Persian culture reveals parallels to contemporary Asian women in Western diaspora, due to perpetuated stereotypes of passiveness and submission, and the model minority myth associated with Asian immigration. Esther’s sexualisation reveals further parallels to the fetishisation and sexual exploitation of Asian women. If we read the text in light of her marginalisation, we can highlight the racial and gendered oppression within the existing power structures, as well as the levels of privilege at work within the character dynamics. Esther serves as an example of the potential that lies in recognising positions of privilege, the implications of identity, and understanding different forms of resistance in order to form a liberative theology. This article outlines the position of Asian women and their proximity to whiteness in relation to other BIPOC (black, indigenous, and people of colour) communities, revealing unexpected connections to Esther’s character. By situating Esther within intersectional and interdisciplinary theory, her status as a postcolonial feminist icon emerges. Through her story, Asian women in diaspora may find their experiences reflected in the journey to liberation.
format	article
author	Hatzaw Ciin Sian Siam
author_facet	Hatzaw Ciin Sian Siam
author_sort	Hatzaw Ciin Sian Siam
title	Reading Esther as a Postcolonial Feminist Icon for Asian Women in Diaspora
title_short	Reading Esther as a Postcolonial Feminist Icon for Asian Women in Diaspora
title_full	Reading Esther as a Postcolonial Feminist Icon for Asian Women in Diaspora
title_fullStr	Reading Esther as a Postcolonial Feminist Icon for Asian Women in Diaspora
title_full_unstemmed	Reading Esther as a Postcolonial Feminist Icon for Asian Women in Diaspora
title_sort	reading esther as a postcolonial feminist icon for asian women in diaspora
publisher	De Gruyter
publishDate	2021
url	https://doaj.org/article/a581cf4d021f45fabf3679c64ed44956
work_keys_str_mv	AT hatzawciinsiansiam readingestherasapostcolonialfeministiconforasianwomenindiaspora
_version_	1718371490249834496

Reading Esther as a Postcolonial Feminist Icon for Asian Women in Diaspora

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