Talk by Jenny Banh, California State University, Fresno.
Thursday, May 7, 2026
5:00 PM - 6:15 PM
Dodd Hall 175
Fantasies of Hong Kong Disneyland: Attempted Indigenizations of Space, Labor, and Consumption examines the attempt to transplant Disney's "happiest place on Earth" ethos to Hong Kong—with unhappy results. Focusing on the attempted localization/indigenization of this idea in a globalized transnational park, the book delves into the three-way dynamics of an American culture-corporation's intentions, Hong Kong, China's government investment and Hong Konger audience, and the Hong Kong Chinese locale. The triple actors introduce an especially complex case as two of the world's most powerful entities, the nominally Communist state of China and corporate behemoth Disney, come together for a project in the third space of Hong Kong. The situation poses special challenges for Disney's efforts to manage space, labor, and consumption to achieve local adaptation and business success.
Jenny Banh is a professor of Asian American Studies and Anthropology at California State University, Fresno. She received Ph.D. and M.A. degrees in Anthropology at the University of California, Riverside, an M.A. in Cultural Studies at Claremont Graduate University, and an B.A. in Anthropology at the University of California, Los Angeles. Her research has focused on Asia/Asian American studies, Cultural Anthropology, and Asian/American Popular Culture. Her current research examines the barriers/bridges to Southeast Asian American students, Asian Foodways, and a Hong Kong corporation. She is the coeditor of Anthropology of Los Angeles: Place and Agency in an Urban Setting and American Chinese Restaurants: Society, Culture, and Consumption.
Sponsor(s): Center for Chinese Studies, Asia Pacific Center