Powerfully queered: representations of castrated male characters in Chinese martial arts films. (28th January 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Hiramoto, Mie
• Is Part Of: Gender and language. Volume 11:Number 4(2017)
• Page Start: 529
• Page End: 551
• Publication Date: 2017-01-28
• Subjects: sexuality -- eunuchs -- castrated men -- chinese martial arts films -- mediatisation; Language and languages -- Sex differences -- Periodicals; Sociolinguistics -- Periodicals; 306.44081
• DOI: 10.1558/genl.31592
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1747-6321

Abstract

Abstract : This paper investigates representations of castrated male characters in Chinese martial arts films. In my data, without exception, the castrated kungfu practitioners are villainous, powerful and extremely tenacious. After careful examination of the characterisations of these sexually unorthodox male martial artist characters in mainstream films, I find a strikingly simplistic equation that links the castrated male characters and their visual and linguistic representations. While the castrated males are some of the most physically capable martial arts practitioners in this genre, they are stereotypically presented as lacking masculinity, and in turn both feminised and dehumanised. Through layers of mediatisation, the fictional castrated male characters are shown to be freaks and monsters by being linguistically and visually queered.