36.full.pdf (2.96 MB)
Download fileA socialist superwoman for the new era: Chinese television and the changing ideals of femininity
journal contribution
posted on 2019-05-21, 11:00 authored by Yingzi Wang, Sabina MiheljSabina MiheljThis paper examines changing representations of women in Chinese television dramas
since the early 1990s and interprets them within a framework of global socialist media
cultures, considering both domestic developments and transnational trends. Drawing on
the analysis of three selected dramas, it traces the trajectory of televised femininity from
exemplary socialist worker-citizens devoted to family and community, to more
individualized middle-class urbanites. It is tempting to see this transformation as an
outcome of China’s integration into the global capitalist economy, the attendant retreat
of the party-state from the private realm, and the infusion of Western cultural gender
ideals. Yet this interpretation downplays important continuities, and misses intriguing
parallels with TV dramas produced in socialist Eastern Europe. The argument pays
particular attention to the enduring appeal of the socialist-style superwoman who
shoulders the double burden of a professional career and unpaid domestic work while
also acting as a discerning citizen-consumer.
History
School
- Social Sciences
Department
- Communication, Media, Social and Policy Studies
Published in
Feminist Media HistoriesVolume
5Issue
3Pages
36-59Citation
WANG, Y. and MIHELJ, S., 2019. A socialist superwoman for the new era: Chinese television and the changing ideals of femininity. Feminist Media Histories, 5 (3), pp.36-59.Publisher
© University of California PressVersion
- VoR (Version of Record)
Acceptance date
2019-05-11Publication date
2019-07-09Notes
Published as WANG, Y. and MIHELJ, S., 2019. A socialist superwoman for the new era: Chinese television and the changing ideals of femininity. Feminist Media Histories, 5 (3), pp.36-59. © 2019 by the Regents of the University of California. Copying and permissions notice: Authorization to copy this content beyond fair use (as specified in Sections 107 and 108 of the U. S. Copyright Law) for internal or personal use, or the internal or personal use of specific clients, is granted by the Regents of the University of California for libraries and other users, provided that they are registered with and pay the specified fee via Rightslink® or directly with the Copyright Clearance Center.Publisher version
Language
- en