010 - What We Inherit: Marie Kondo and the Security of Stuff

Asian Americana

Christina Ong with her mom. Photo courtesy Christina Ong

Marie Kondo’s book, show, and KonMari decluttering method got popular in the past couple years, but her methods may not apply the same way to immigrant families. Contributor Christina Ong explores family and belonging in her piece, What We Inherit: Marie Kondo and the Security of Stuff.

Listen:

Or listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google, Stitcher, or RadioPublic.

You can find more of Christina Ong’s work on her website. At the time of this episode, she’s studying how political activism and artistic production around anti-imperialism, anti-racism, and anti-sexism influenced the development of Asian America in the 1970s-1980s through an in-depth case study of New York City’s Basement Workshop.

The article she references in her piece is Marie Kondo and the Privilege of Clutter, by Arielle Bernstein.

The episode of Tidying Up with Marie Kondo we referenced is Season 1, Episode 2: Empty Nesters.