Heather McAlister answers “How certain can we be that what Mineko...”

T Huong asked this question about Geisha, a Life:

How certain can we be that what Mineko wrote in the novel about herself is true? A. Golden’s Memoirs of a Geisha is subjected to such scrutiny even though it is historical fiction, not historical fact, but a former geisha’s claim to be the greatest of her time isn’t? Why’s that?

Heather McAlister White male privilege at its finest: Golden can interview a woman from another country and culture from his own about her own life, mess around with th…moreWhite male privilege at its finest: Golden can interview a woman from another country and culture from his own about her own life, mess around with the details to make his story seem more spicy, lie to her about keeping her anonymous and then publish her name to give his own writing more credibility anyway, and people still assume that his word is more trustworthy than hers. Iwasaki Mineko is just a woman born and raised in Japan, who joined the geiko when she was a small child in the 1940's, and spent decades working as a geiko in Gion; why would her account be more credible than Aruthur Golden's? A straight white male American professor who it's doubtful ever set foot in Japan?(less)

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T Huong John, I agree that he may not have respected Mineko’s confidentiality and for that she has every right to be upset. But that bears no relation to the ...more
Jun 06, 2018 10:25PM · flag

Luke Concrete power imbalances in the form of collective economic wealth, humanizing representation, and socialized hierarchies of violence existing betwee ...more
Jun 07, 2018 05:21PM · flag

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