Watching the bromance: Gender and subculture’s masquerade in contemporary China
Lin, Ran
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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/114019
Description
Title
Watching the bromance: Gender and subculture’s masquerade in contemporary China
Author(s)
Lin, Ran
Issue Date
2021-12-10
Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)
Chen, Jingling
Department of Study
E. Asian Languages & Cultures
Discipline
E Asian Languages & Cultures
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
M.A.
Degree Level
Thesis
Keyword(s)
bromance
gender
subculture
Chinese drama
Abstract
This thesis explores Chinese bromance drama, a new genre of Chinese TV drama that insinuates the homoerotic relationship between male protagonists. This thesis regards the Chinese bromance drama as a masquerade, a middle region, a special cultural field where both the old and the new, as well as the traditional and avant-garde play on the stage, colliding, competing, and communicating with each other. The study uses the example of Word of Honor (2021) to provide a novel and illuminating angle to discuss the true theme of Chinese bromance. By analyzing the male protagonist of Word of Honor, this thesis argues that the new genre embodies the features of androgyny and romance. Though Chinese bromance drama disturbs the conventional alignment of sex, gender, and sexuality, it has failed to transgress the still-dominant patriarchal and heteronormative ideologies. With the gender-role dichotomy and male gaze both questioned and consolidated in Chinese bromance drama, this thesis uncovers the intricate interactions in contemporary China between hegemonic masculinity and femininity, as well as between dominant culture and subcultures. Starting from the changes of the gender discourse in China, this study tries to explore the “hidden voices” in China and present the panorama of contemporary Chinese society.
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