Watching the bromance: Gender and subculture’s masquerade in contemporary China

Lin, Ran

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/114019 Copy

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.

Graduation Semester

2021-12

Type of Resource

Thesis

Permalink

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/114019

Copyright and License Information

Copyright 2021 Ran Lin

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