Chinoiserie Drag: Masquerading as the Oriental Other.

ROSA FONG-COWN

    Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

    Abstract

    Chinoiserie Drag: Masquerading as the Oriental Other makes an important and innovative contribution to the understanding of the gender and racial performance of the oriental other. In order to develop an analysis of the subversive use of hegemonic representations of gender and race I formulate the idea of chinoiserie drag. A survey of the colonial project of chinoiserie provides a historical context and grounds my investigation, whilst queer theory helps frame my approach. I identify chinoiserie drag as a performance based on a ‘fanciful interpretation’ of East Asian people, creating drag acts that lampoon the oriental other. Throughout the chapter I demonstrate how, by performing a racialized gender, Zoe is able to employ chinoiserie drag to enact agency by authoring her own identity. The concept of chinoiserie drag creates new knowledge formation enabling an understanding of how hegemonic representations of race are usurped by the parodic performance of race.
    Original languageEnglish
    Title of host publicationContemporary Drag Practices & Performers: Drag in a Changing Scene Vol 1
    PublisherBloombury, London
    Chapter10
    Pages45-59
    ISBN (Print)9781350082946
    Publication statusPublished - 19 Mar 2020

    Keywords

    • performing gender
    • performing race
    • transgender

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