並列篇名 |
Attention, At Ease, As a Queer: The Politics of Aesthetics, Cultural Production, and Literary Representation of ''Gay Anthems'' in Mandarin Popular Music |
英文摘要 |
In post-martial law Taiwan, LGBTQ cultural field has created a stage for various audiovisual works, and the discussion of ''gay anthems''(同志國歌) has begun. This paper examines the emergence and formation of this playlist before same-sex marriage was legalized, and finds that it has been reframed, linked and deepened as the socio-political climate has changed. Placing ''gay anthems'' in the local context of Mandarin pop music shows its situated particularity. Firstly, these songs are not necessarily protest songs, but often love songs. Secondly, the playlist includes not only works that speak of progressive ''proud identity,'' but also conservative ''romantic love'' tunes that seem to be outside the discourse of resistance. While gay anthems are generally associated with Western electro-dance music, Mandarin gay anthems have developed a local lyrical and bittersweet lineage. With the development of the gender movements and the fruits of gender-equality practices, certain LGBTQ-supportive elements and themes have been more directly incorporated into recent pop songs and videos. The industrial logic of highly reproduced songs with explicitly gay and lesbian consumer desires, however, has been no more favored than the gay anthems that have accumulated since the 1980s. In the changing market and media, these songs have played a different role in stirring emotions and resisting mainstream heteronormative culture. Through the collection of newspapers, magazines, and literary works, this paper traces the cultural production of gay anthems on the one hand and analyzes the texts on the other. Based on these data, this paper consists of three parts: First, the term ''gay anthems'' contributes to the imaginary community notion of a gay ''nation'' that not only reflects the identity politics evoked by the ''dark kingdom'' effect from Crystal Boys but also highlights the spatiality in the T-bar or gay bar. Second, These historical materials come from a grotesque seeking perspective of the gay world in mainstream press as well as gay movement archives and voting activities. This paper argues that, contemporary Taiwanese literary works, including homosexual essays and novels, frequently cite gay anthems to achieve a sense of rhyme and intertextuality, and to put Jacques Rancière's aesthetics and politics into practice. |