Digitized Engagements: Feminist and Queer Media Activism in China  

2015-17 Principal Investigator, Early Career Scheme, Research Grants Committee, “Digitized Engagements: Feminist and   Queer Media Activism in China” (Award Year: 2015/16, project number: 22607115), HKD324,080 (USD41,590), 01/09/2015-30/11/2017.

In the last decade, aided by the development of communication technologies, feminist and queer media activists in China have been using a variety forms such as documentary workshops, online campaigns, webcasts, webzines and so on to promote sexual and gender diversity. In this process, digital technology has played an unprecedented role in assembling nvquan (feminist) or kuer (queer) discourses and practices in community building, public education and advocacy. Despite the significant growth of feminist and queer media practices in China for more than ten years, not much has been written about this subject. The explanation for such under-exploration is twofold. On one hand, while many studies explore how digital technology has influenced the production, circulation, and consumption of feminist and LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) media in the American, European and other Asian contexts, the research on feminist and queer media in China is disproportionally small. On the other hand, although research on communication technologies in China, particularly Internet activism, has flourished considerably, the issues of gender and sexuality remain marginalized. Intersecting feminist and queer media studies and studies on communication technologies in China, this project aims to examine how digital technology informs the development of feminist and queer activism in China, and, at the same time, how alternative media practices attuned to gender and sexuality issues can shed light on feminist practices and the queering of digital technology. Drawing from semi-structured interviews with various feminist and queer media practitioners, analysis of key events and media productions, participatory observation, as well as documents from relevant organizations, this project will analyze the convergence of digital media and feminist and queer activism in China. Ultimately, the project will generate a scholarly understanding of how digital technology informs the development of feminist and queer activism in China. It will also make available a bilingual online database for archiving feminist and queer media activism, providing useful information for the general public in China and Hong Kong. 

數字化參與：中國女權與酷兒媒體行動主義  

在過去的十年間，隨著通訊科技的發展，中國的女權/女性主義和酷兒媒體行動者運用不同的方式，包括紀綠片工作坊、電影節、網絡廣播和網路雜誌等來推動性和性別多元。在這個過程中，數字化技術在聚集女權/女性主義或酷兒論述和實踐、建立群體認同以及公眾教育和倡導方面扮演著前所未有的位置。雖然在過去的十幾年間中國女權主義和酷兒媒體有重要的增長，但是關於這方面的研究卻很少。一方面，很多研究是關於數字化技術在美國、歐洲或亞洲其他地區如何影響女性主義和酷兒媒體的製作、發行和消費，而對於中國的女權主義和酷兒媒體的研究是不合比例地少。另一方面，關於中國通訊科技的研究，特別是互聯網行動主義的研究是相當蓬勃的，可是，性和性別的議題是被邊緣化的。通過訪談女權主義和酷兒媒體參與者、分析重要的事件及媒體製作、參與觀察、查閱相關組織的紀錄，此項目將會分析中國數字化媒體與女權和酷兒行動主義的關係。