Negotiating Diaspora: On Culture and Belonging

Nolan Wallace

Explore the complex identity of Celtic peoples in ancient Britain through the biased lens of their Roman conquerors. This paper analyzes the writings of figures like Julius Caesar and Tacitus, accounting for their political motives to create a clearer picture of Roman-Celtic interactions. It traces a relationship that evolved from unfamiliarity to animosity and, finally, to a complex cultural fusion that laid the groundwork for modern British identity.

Jordan Liu

Challenge the simple narrative that “barbarian” hordes invaded and destroyed the Roman Empire. This essay presents a revisionist account, arguing that the fragmentation of the Empire was driven by an internal conflict. It reveals how the Roman aristocracy’s deep-seated antagonism towards upwardly mobile, foreign-born citizens in the military and government ultimately led them to instigate the very wars that would ruin them.

Adam Berg

Look beyond the immediate colonial precursors to the 1994 Rwandan genocide to uncover a much deeper history of conflict. This essay explores the “weaponization of identity” between Hutus and Tutsis that extends back to the very beginnings of the Rwandan nation-state. Using a moral disengagement framework, it reveals a clear historical pattern where those in power strategically defined who was or was not “authentically Rwandan” to serve their own purposes.

Hayne Kim

Understand the crucial psychological landscape of Japanese Americans in the months before their WWII incarceration. This essay highlights the stark generational differences between the immigrant Issei and the American-born Nisei in confronting anti-Japanese sentiment. It reveals how their distinct life experiences shaped their loyalties and their complex feelings of anger, betrayal, and shame when faced with profound adversity in the only home they had ever known.

Xiaoyao Lu

Investigate why the portrayal of homosexuality in Chinese literature differs so starkly from Western narratives. This comparative analysis argues that the Confucian emphasis on communal, familial, and national obligations intensifies existing homophobic narratives, creating a unique “queer guilt.” By examining representative texts, it reveals a powerful connection between a society’s core philosophy and the intimate psychological pressures faced by its queer individuals.

Cheryl Chen

Challenge the way we categorize literature and cultural identity through Maxine Hong Kingston’s controversial and brilliant memoir. This essay argues that The Woman Warrior is a deliberate act of resistance against the expectation that minority writers must represent an entire culture. It shows how Kingston disrupts myth, gender standards, and the very idea of a literary canon to articulate a deeply personal struggle against narrative constraints.