in Search of A Voice

"This book is part of an ongoing research program on the cultural history of Chinese-language media in the United States, which includes three earlier publications by Lum."—CRT"Lum specializes in communication and is knowledgeable about Chinese American communities. He fully understands the power of this new combination of culture and technology, yet is able to approach the topic objectively. This book is useful to those who study Amercian immigrant history, anthropology, Asian and Asian American studies, Chinese and Chinese American studies, communications, ethnomusicology, history of technology, intercultural studies, psychology, and sociology."—Ethnomusicology"In Search of a Voice will certainly prove to be valuable as supplemental reading in both introductory and advanced courses in interpersonal, mass mediated and intercultural communication and, hopefully in the not too distant future, courses in music as a form of communication."—The New Jersey Journal of Communication"...an admirable job putting forth an insightful analysis of musical processes, media, and socio-economic institutions involved in the history of the Chinese American immigrant experience.—1997 Yearbook for Traditional Music"...karaoke is one form of musical participation, very prevalent in some settings, and this ethnographic study addresses a number of issues of more general concern in the study of popular music."—Review and Criticism"With its unique subject matter and its in-depth discussions of the communities, this highly informative and very readable book is a timely and valuable contribution to the small but steadily growing body of cultural studies of Chinese Americans and Asian Americans."—Asian Music"With its unique subject matter and its in-depth discussions of the communities, this highly informative and very readable book is a timely and valuable contribution to the small but steadily growing body of cultural studies in Chinese Americans and Asian Americans."—Asian Music: Fall/Winter 1998/1999

• Contents: N. Postman, Foreword. Series Editors' Preface. Understanding Karaoke as Communication. Media in the Chinese American Experience: The Formation and Mediation of the Diaspora. Karaoke as Cultural Connection and Translation: The Voice of a Hong Kong Cantonese Community in New York's Chinatown. Karaoke as Status Symbol: The Voice of a Taiwanese Community in the Affluent Suburbs of New Jersey. Karaoke as Escape: The Voice of a Malaysian Chinese Community in Flushing, New York. Karaoke and the Construction of Identity. Appendix: Notes on Methodology.