Tongzhi living : men attracted to men in postsocialist China / Tiantian Zheng.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Zheng, Tiantian, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Men--Sexual behavior--China.

Men.

Men--China--Attitudes.

Heterosexual men--China.

Heterosexual men.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (257 pages)

Place of Publication:

Minneapolis, Minnesota ; London, England : University of Minnesota Press, 2015.

Summary:

Tongzhi, which translates into English as "same purpose" or "same will," was once widely used to mean "comrade." Since the 1990's, the word has been appropriated by the LGBT community in China and now refers to a broad range of people who do not espouse heteronormativity. Tongzhi Living, the first study of its kind, offers insights into the community of same-sex-attracted men in the metropolitan city of Dalian in northeast China. Based on ethnographic fieldwork by Tiantian Zheng, the book reveals an array of coping mechanisms developed by Tongzhi men in response to rapid social, cultural, and political transformations in postsocialist China. According to Zheng, unlike gay men in the West over the past three decades, Tongzhi men in China have adopted the prevailing moral ideal of heterosexuality and pursued membership in the dominant culture at the same time they have endeavored to establish a Tongzhi culture. They are, therefore, caught in a constant tension of embracing and contesting normality as they try to create a new and legitimate space for themselves. Tongzhi men's attempts to practice both conformity and rebellion paradoxically undercut the goals they aspire to reach, Zheng shows, perpetuating social prejudice against them and thwarting the activism they believe they are advocating.

Contents:

Contents; Introduction; 1. A Cultural History of Same-Sex Desire in China; 2. Popular Perceptions of Homosexuality in Postsocialist China; 3. The 1's and the 0's; 4. The Normal Postsocialist Subject; 5. Organizing against HIV in China; 6. Embracing the Heterosexual Norm; 7. Safe Sex among Men; Conclusion; Acknowledgments; Notes; Bibliography; Index

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

1-4529-4502-0

OCLC:

920883388