Abstract:
This thesis is a comparative study of a modern Chinese writer, Shen Congwen (1902-1988), and a modern New Zealand writer, Witi Ihimaera (1944- ), in terms of their indigenous status. While Ihimaera's role as an indigenous Maori writer – indeed, the first Maori to have a novel published -- has never been in doubt, discussion of Shen's work rarely mentions his indigenous status. In this thesis, it will be argued that, in his writing, he regularly identified with the Miao tribal people of Southwest China and, implicitly rather than explicitly, came to serve as their literary voice. The study begins with a general discussion on some contentious issues around the terms "indigenous people" and "indigenous literature". Particular attention is paid to the historical backgrounds of the indigenous peoples in China and the Maori in New Zealand, and it is argued that an "occasional approach" needs to be taken to address the complex issues concerned. Based on this argument, the thesis offers a review of the life experience and writing careers of Shen and Ihimaera to demonstrate their achievements as indigenous writers. Using guidelines derived from reception theory, the review emphasises the "negotiation" the two writers engaged in with their readers through the medium of their literary text. Despite the very different historical and social contexts they wrote against, a juxtaposition of the two writers' works reveals some common literary strategies each has used to ensure their indigenous voice is heard by the dominant society. Both writers have tried to re-imagine an idyllic indigenous world through literary representations and have described how their indigenous "paradise" was invaded by the colonial forces. With a loud and clear Maori voice, Ihimaera has expressed his aspiration for the revival of Maori people and Maori culture. Shen, on the other hand, chose to embed the Miao "signs" deeply in his stories, partly because of his own mixed Miao-Han background, and partly because of the discrimination against ethnic minorities in Chinese society. The indigenous Miao voice he expressed, however, is the first of its kind in the history of modern Chinese literature.