• Department: Communication; English (Honors)

• Honors Thesis: “Biopolitics and Neocolonial Power in Postcolonial S.E. Asia”

• Research Area: English; Critical Theory; Postcolonial Theory

• Supervisors: Gillian Harkins and Alys Weinbaum

• Abstract:

Through a close reading of Lawrence Chua’s novel Gold by the Inch, this English Honors thesis investigates how prose can illuminate the neocolonial relationships between Western nations and Southeast Asian countries, that is, the relationships marked by subjugation operating through veiled mechanisms embedded in transregional structures of power. The novel’s content, style, and structure invite an affective response, enabling readers to recognize and critically unpack asymmetries of power. Chua’s counter-narrative foregrounds the hidden operations of power, with particular focus on Thailand and Malaysia. Drawing on the theory of biopower, I explore how systems of domination and control function in Southeast Asia, revealing how neoliberal practices facilitate neocolonial subjugation through the construction of disposable lives.