Synopses & Reviews
In the emerging field of queer Asian studies, scholars to date have paid scant attention to transgender issues. Meanwhile, despite its already sophisticated focus on gender non-conformity, Western queer studies exhibits an equally pressing problem: the conspicuous absence of empirical and theoretical investigations of transgenderism in Northeast Asian society and culture. This volume, under the editorship of Howard Chiang, responds to the convergence of these limitations. By bringing together experts with diverse disciplinary backgrounds in the China field, from cultural studies to history to musicology, Transgender China makes a timely intervention whereby emergent Sinologists explore previously untapped terrains—from the historical demise of enuchism to male cross-dressing shows in contemporary Taiwan—to inaugurate a subfield in Chinese transgender studies.
Review
Review
"Just as transgender keeps open a radical space to rethink gender norms and variances in gay and lesbian studies, transgender in the context of China keeps open a radical space to reconsider Western assumptions about sex, sexuality, identity, and embodiment. Chiang's marvelous collection queers all these fields and areas in unexpected and compelling ways." - David L. Eng, Department of English, University of Pennsylvania and author of The Feeling of Kinship: Queer Liberalism and the Racialization of Intimacy
"This book has an impressive breadth in both historical reach and the cultural forms addressed. From historical investigations of androgyny in classical ethics and religion, eunuchism, and literary and theatrical cross-dressing to critical analyses of trans representations in contemporary popular film and the trans pride movement in Hong Kong, the collection is both intellectually exciting and politically engaged. Showcasing cutting-edge work from a new generation of early-career researchers alongside fresh material from established scholars in the field, Transgender China should be required reading for anyone interested in trans studies, Chinese cultural studies, or gender and sexuality studies in a transnational frame." - Fran Martin, Screen and Cultural Studies Program, The University of Melbourne and author of Backward Glances: Contemporary Chinese Cultures and the Female Homoerotic Imaginary
Synopsis
This volume brings together experts with diverse disciplinary backgrounds in the China field, from cultural studies to history to musicology, to make a timely intervention--from the historical demise of enuchism to male cross-dressing shows in contemporary Taiwan--to inaugurate a subfield in Chinese transgender studies.
Synopsis
In the vibrant field of queer Asian studies, scholars to date have paid scant attention to transgender topics. Meanwhile, despite its already sophisticated focus on gender non-conformity, Western queer studies exhibits an equally pressing problem: the conspicuous absence of empirical and theoretical investigations of transgenderism in Northeast Asian society and culture. This volume responds to the convergence of these limitations. By bringing together experts with diverse disciplinary backgrounds in the China field, from cultural studies to history to musicology, Transgender China makes a timely intervention whereby emergent Sinologists explore previously untapped terrains across mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan to inaugurate the field of Chinese transgender studies.
Synopsis
In the vibrant field of queer Asian studies, scholars to date have paid scant attention to transgender topics. Meanwhile, despite its already sophisticated focus on gender non-conformity, Western queer studies exhibits an equally pressing problem: the conspicuous absence of empirical and theoretical investigations of transgenderism in Northeast Asian society and culture. This volume responds to the convergence of these limitations. By bringing together experts with diverse disciplinary backgrounds in the China field, from cultural studies to history to musicology, Transgender China makes a timely intervention whereby emergent Sinologists explore previously untapped terrains across mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan to inaugurate the field of Chinese transgender studies.
Synopsis
In the vibrant field of queer Asian studies, scholars to date have paid scant attention to transgender topics. Meanwhile, despite its already sophisticated focus on gender non-conformity, Western queer studies exhibits an equally pressing problem: the conspicuous absence of empirical and theoretical investigations of transgenderism in Northeast Asian society and culture. This volume responds to the convergence of these limitations. By bringing together experts with diverse disciplinary backgrounds in the China field, from cultural studies to history to musicology, Transgender China makes a timely intervention whereby emergent Sinologists explore previously untapped terrains across mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan to inaugurate the field of Chinese transgender studies.
About the Author
Howard Chiang is Assistant Professor of Modern Chinese History at the University of Warwick, UK. He received his Ph.D. at Princeton University.
Table of Contents
Introduction: 'Imagining Transgender China';
H.Chiang How China Became a 'Castrated Civilization' and Eunuchs a 'Third Sex';
H.ChiangGendered Androgyny: Transcendent Ideals and Profane Realities in Buddhism, Classicism, and Daoism;
D.Burton-Rose'The Androgynous Ideal in Scholarly-Beauty Romances: A Historical and Cultural View';
Z.Zhou'Transgenderism as a Heuristic Device: On the Cross-Historical and Transnational Adaptations of the Legend of the White Snake';
A.K.H.Wong'Begin Anywhere: Transgender and Transgenre Desire in Qiu Miaojin's Last Words from Montmartre';
L.N.Heinrich'Trans On Screen';
H.Hok-Sze Leung 'Writing the Body';
C.Rojas'Performing Transgender Desire: Male Cross-Dressing Shows in Taiwan';
C.J.Wu 'Transgenders in Hong Kong: From Shame to Pride';
P.K.E.Cheung 'De/Colonizing Transgender Studies of China';
S.Stryker