| 英文摘要 |
The Last Airbender is an American-made TV cartoon series. Most critics give positive views of its immersive world-building and great storytelling. However, I argue that the ideology behind the white-production show consolidates the intellectual authority reproduced by American techno-Orientalism. The Avatar world is designed as an ancient but corrupting Orient waiting to be saved and rebuilt. Moreover, I argue that the protagonist Avatar Aang fits the iconography of Oriental Monk in American popular culture, which is representative of the Western savior that redeems the Orient from the Hundred Year War and the loss of cultures. On the other hand, the imperialist Fire Nation is a totalitarian nation with advanced technology that reflects the West's historical fear of powerful Far East nations in the discourse of techno-Orientalism. At last, the convergence of the iconography of Oriental Monk and techno-Orientalism in the show rationalizing the Western gaze upon the Orient they manufacture not only positions themselves as saviors of the Orient but satisfies their own savior fantasy toward the Orient. To understand how the intellectual authority operates in the show for rationalizing the West's supremacy over the Orient, I will borrow multiple feedbacks from Avatar's audiences and fans to explore the ideology of techno-Orientalism in the show. |
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