SSP Research Seminar Series - Digital Video Activism: Queer Media in China

We are delighted to welcome Dr Hongwei Bao (University of Nottingham) to present his work. The seminar will be chaired by Professor Ruth Holliday.  

Abstract 

This talk introduces queer media activism in contemporary China. The past thirty years has not only seen the formation of sexual identities and communities in China, but also a proliferation of media produced and consumed by LGBTQ people. These media forms consist of leaflets, zines, pagers, websites, and dating apps. Their media practices include oral history documentaries, internet radio and webcasts, film and cultural festivals, and DIY video-making workshops. What do these media forms and practices tell us about LGBTQ identities, communities and cultures in contemporary China? What insight can we gain about subjectivity, politics, and social change? This talk draws on the author’s new book Queer Media in China (Routledge, forthcoming in 2021) and highlights the role of community media in identity formation, community building and the articulation of a postsocialist queer politics.    

Speaker biography  

Dr Hongwei Bao is an Associate Professor in Media Studies at the University of Nottingham, UK, where he also directs the Centre for Contemporary East Asian Cultural Studies. He holds a PhD in Gender and Cultural Studies from the University of Sydney, Australia. His research primarily focuses on queer media and culture in contemporary China. He is the author of Queer Comrades: Gay Identity and Tongzhi Activism in Postsocialist China (NIAS Press, 2018), Queer China: Lesbian and Gay Literature and Visual Culture under Postsocialism (Routledge, 2020) and Queer Media in China (Routledge, forthcoming in 2021).   

Event joining details

The seminar will be held on Zoom, please use the link, meeting ID and passcode below to join:

https://universityofleeds.zoom.us/j/88373009156?pwd=YitQSVFLelRKWS81NlplYjJnY2Q2UT09

Meeting ID: 883 7300 9156
Passcode: 4Kv?WZ