Papers by Phoebe Pua
Language & Communication, 2020
While the properties of gender across different cultures have degrees of overlap, representations... more While the properties of gender across different cultures have degrees of overlap, representations of Japanese men in popular Western media are characterized by distinctive elements. This article discusses popular Hollywood action films featuring ninja and tracks its portrayal in Anglophone media. We pay particular attention to cinematic constructions of masculinity and sexuality from the integrated theoretical viewpoints of sociolinguistics, masculinity studies, and film semiotics. Based on the notions of linguistic and visual enregisterment, we employ concepts of mediation and simulation to illustrate two pointsd (1) a widely accepted martial arts typecasting of the ninja is a 'copy without an original' in Hollywood productions, and (2) characteristics of heroic and villainous ninja are conventionalized via dominant discourses of hegemonic masculinity based on race.
Language in Society, 2019
This article investigates how naturalized models of hegemonic masculinity affect race and sexuali... more This article investigates how naturalized models of hegemonic masculinity affect race and sexuality in the James Bond film series. Through close analysis of film dialogue and paralinguistic cues, the article examines how the sexualities of East Asian female and male characters are constructed as over-sexed and undersexed, respectively. The analysis therefore affirms Connell's (1995) conception of white heterosexual masculinity as exemplary: East Asian characters are positioned not only as racial Others, but as bodies upon which Bond's heterosexual masculinity is reflected and affirmed as nor-mative and, by extension, ideal. In this way, race is curiously invoked to 'explain' sexuality, and Bond's unmarked white masculinity becomes the normative referent for expressions of heterosexual desire. By showing how the sexuality of East Asian characters is typecast as non-normative, the article gestures toward the possibility of theorizing racialized performances of heterosexuality as queer.
This piece was written as a festival essay for the Asian Film Archive's REFRAME covering the Scre... more This piece was written as a festival essay for the Asian Film Archive's REFRAME covering the Screening the Forest series on post-anthropocentric slow cinema. The series was curated by Dr. Graiwoot Chulphongsathorn and took place from 8-10 June 2018.
Discourse, Context and Media, Jun 2018
In the last 50 years, the name James Bond has become synonymous with masculine sophistication. Th... more In the last 50 years, the name James Bond has become synonymous with masculine sophistication. Through iconic characteristics of confidence and wit, Bond’s image as a debonair Englishman has been carefully orchestrated and upheld. For this, much credit is due to the many secondary characters who exist primarily to index him as the ideal man, often at their expense. To achieve this, the films frequently employ methods of othering, particularly through exaggerating racial identities to the point of exoticization. While accusations that the Bond film series is riddled with racial stereotypes are not new, there exist gaps in scholarship addressing East Asian presence and stereotypes. This paper investigates (mis)representations of East Asian characters, examining them separately as allies and villains, through analyzing processes which mediatize their languages and cultures. Ultimately, it confronts the mediatization processes of East Asia within the Bond film series and explores the social meanings enregistered therein.
Feminist Media Studies, 2017
This paper contradicts interpretations of James Bond’s M, played by Judi Dench, as a feminist tri... more This paper contradicts interpretations of James Bond’s M, played by Judi Dench, as a feminist triumph. Through a focus on aging, it argues that the initially powerful M is ultimately reinscribed into patriarchy. In Dench’s eight films, M undergoes two processes of age-based reconfiguration: “post-sexualization” and “domestication.” Drawing on Mulvey’s and Butler’s psychoanalytic theories, this paper shows that, early on, M is post-sexualized as she is distanced from youthful femininity and aligned with phallic masculinity. Following this, and contrary to consensus that M’s domestication began in the Daniel Craig era, this paper contends that by the middle of the Pierce Brosnan era, M’s power is already exposed as a façade and she consequently enters the maternal realm. Expanding on Tasker’s writing on women in action films, this paper details how M’s authority not only shifts entirely into the maternal sphere but is also systematically stripped until she becomes a peculiar mother-child. Finally, this paper identifies an emerging pattern within popular media of turning Ma’ams to Moms to martyrs. Evidence is taken from Dench’s final Bond films and other contemporary action film series (Star Wars, The Hunger Games, and Divergent). This paper concludes that age has become a post-feminist strategy to neuter powerful women and return them to patriarchal and heteronormative frameworks.
Is silence torture or transcendence? Film scholar Phoebe Pua examines the presence of metaphysica... more Is silence torture or transcendence? Film scholar Phoebe Pua examines the presence of metaphysical silence in the cinemas of the two great auteurs Ingmar Bergman and Andrei Tarkovsky. Foregrounding essential similarities and differences, Phoebe explores the complex duality of silence and asks whether silence is intrinsically empty or expressive.
This essay is a revised version of Chapters 1 and 4 of Compositions of crisis: Sound and silence in the films of Bergman and Tarkovsky, which can be accessed in full via https://www.academia.edu/7553371/Compositions_of_crisis_Sound_and_silence_in_the_films_of_Bergman_and_Tarkovsky
This thesis examines seven films from the cinemas of Ingmar Bergman and Andrei Tarkovsky—Bergman’... more This thesis examines seven films from the cinemas of Ingmar Bergman and Andrei Tarkovsky—Bergman’s The Seventh Seal (1957), Through a Glass Darkly (1961), Winter Light (1963), and The Silence (1963), and Tarkovsky’s Stalker (1979), Nostalghia (1983), and The Sacrifice (1986).
These films were chosen as they represent the deepest periods of two directors’ engagements with the possible death of God and the subsequent loss of intrinsic existential meaning—topics with which this thesis is principally concerned.
As a starting point, this thesis argues that the films present the silence of God as the primary indicator of God’s absence from the human world. Becoming aware of this silence thus causes one to interrogate religious certainties which have hitherto been taken to be timeless and true. This thesis then contends that, when faced with this silence and its implications, Bergman desperately sought evidence of God’s existence while Tarkovsky unyieldingly maintained an attitude of faith.
The directors’ progressions toward these contrasting positions are evident through the uses of sound elements in their films. As Bergman unsuccessfully pursued evidence of God’s existence, the soundscapes in his four films become increasingly minimal. The sparse use of sound reveals Bergman’s conception of a Godless void. On the other hand, metaphysical silence in Tarkovsky’s films was not perceived as emptiness. Instead, “silence” in his films was, paradoxically, often depicted through complex layers of sounds. Presented as manifestations of the metaphysical, the sounds of “silence” in Tarkovsky’s films consequently become affirmations of faith.
Through this sound-based approach to film analysis, this thesis sets out to explain why Bergman and Tarkovsky understood metaphysical silence so differently by examining how they portrayed literal silences.
This article offers alternate readings of Ingmar Bergman’s The Seventh Seal (1957) and Winter Lig... more This article offers alternate readings of Ingmar Bergman’s The Seventh Seal (1957) and Winter Light (1963) to those proposed in a preceding article by Esma Kartal. It argues against the contention that the two films express optimism about one’s ability to resolve spiritual-existential angst and the possibility of ultimately reaffirming one’s faith. Through close analysis of pivotal scenes, including that of Death in the Castle in The Seventh Seal and the Frostnäs church service in Winter Light, the article exposes the unremitting pessimism that pervades the films’ atmospheres. In essence, the article asserts that the two films, Winter Light in particular, are among the most pessimistic in Bergman’s cinema.
Conference Presentations by Phoebe Pua
In this paper, I focus on a small but significant group of Southeast Asian films that tell rape-r... more In this paper, I focus on a small but significant group of Southeast Asian films that tell rape-revenge stories and conceives these films as a point of entry in conceiving a regional feminist identity. Surveying thirteen films across four decades from Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam, I begin by tracing iterations of the rape- revenge genre in Southeast Asia through the years. In laying out the filmography as a corpus, I demonstrate transnational affinities that suggest the presence of a regional cinematic imagination which cuts across, or at least exists alongside, national boundaries. Following this, I explore how powerful women are framed within contemporary Southeast Asian rape-revenge films through substantive close readings of three recent films: Nan Achnas’s Whispering Sands (Indonesia, 2001), Bui Kim Quy’s The Inseminator (Vietnam, 2014), and Mouly Surya’s Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts (Indonesia, 2017). Despite being produced in different moments and separate places, all present similar experiences of rural womanhood that is repeatedly subjected to violence. Interestingly, these depictions go against the grain of global feminist discourse which, since third wave feminist movements of the late 1980s in North America and Western Europe, has cautioned against ratifying the rhetoric of female victimhood. Evidently, Southeast Asian women filmmakers today continue to find currency in the Third World woman figure. Through an analysis of the films’ formal qualities, paying particular attention to experimentation with chronology and expressionist elements, this paper concludes that these films and their filmmakers have— consciously or not— created a new mythic hero. This hero, whom I term ‘She of Outlands’, is envisioned as the Southeast Asian female equivalent of the Western genre’s frontier man, a figure of the past conjured by the present to embody uncertain anticipation of the future. Ultimately, this paper proposes that in reinterpreting the well- worn Third World woman archetype this way, these films effectively remobilize her for new purposes—that is, to imagine a 21st century Southeast Asian female identity that has yet to be explicitly articulated. To that end, this paper speculates that it is possible to not only recuperate the Third World woman into global feminist discourses but also, through her, consider the possibility and the promise of a regional Southeast Asian feminism.
In this paper, I explore a small but significant group of Southeast Asian films that tell rape-r... more In this paper, I explore a small but significant group of Southeast Asian films that tell rape-revenge stories and consider them collectively as a point of entry into conceiving a regional feminist identity. I begin with a brief survey that traces cinematic iterations of the rape-revenge genre as seen in Southeast Asia from the 1970s onward. Following this, I discuss how powerful women are framed in the contemporary period with a focus on three films: Nan Achnas’s Whispering Sands (Indonesia, 2001), Bui Kim Quy’s The Inseminator (Vietnam, 2014), and Mouly Surya’s Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts (Indonesia, 2017). Despite being produced in different spatio- temporal contexts, the three films present similar experiences of rural womanhood that is repeatedly subjected to sexual violence. Evidently, Southeast Asian filmmakers especially (and counterintuitively) women continue to find currency in the Third World woman figure. Interestingly, this goes against the grain of third wave feminist discourse which, since the late 1980s, has cautioned against ratifying the rhetoric of female victimhood as the second wave had previously done. Paying attention to the films’ formal qualities, such as their experimentation with chronology and expressionist elements, I argue that Southeast Asian rape-revenge films offer a way to clarify feminist debates. I demonstrate this by reading the films alongside Gloria Anzaldúa’s conception of the new mestiza, a hybridized feminist identity premised on shifting borders, and ultimately propose that—consciously or not—these films and their filmmakers have created a new mythic hero whom I term ‘She of Borderlands’.
This paper begins with a reading of three contemporary Southeast Asian films, each featuring wome... more This paper begins with a reading of three contemporary Southeast Asian films, each featuring women in rural landscapes. Despite being produced in different moments and separate places, Nan Achnas’s Whispering Sands (Indonesia, 2001), Bui Kim Quy’s The Inseminator (Vietnam, 2014), and Mouly Surya’s Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts (Indonesia, 2017) all present similar experiences of rural womanhood that is repeatedly subjected to violence. These depictions go against the grain of feminist discourse, which, since third wave feminist movements of the late 1980s in North America and Western Europe, has cautioned against ratifying the rhetoric of female victimhood. Evidently, Southeast Asian women filmmakers today continue to find currency in the Third World woman figure.
Through an analysis of the films’ formal qualities that pays particular attention to the use of expressionist elements, this paper demonstrates how the films actively establish an intimate relationship between the Third World woman and the rural landscape, framing the latter as a necessary part of the former’s eventual will-to-power. In doing so, this paper argues that these films and their filmmakers have— consciously or not— created a new mythic hero. She of outlands is envisioned as the Southeast Asian female equivalent of the Western genre’s frontier man, a figure of the past conjured by the present to embody uncertain anticipation of the future. To that end, this paper proposes that in reinterpreting the well-worn Third World woman archetype this way, these films effectively remobilize her for new purposes— that is, to imagine a 21st century Southeast Asian female identity that has yet to be explicitly articulated. Ultimately, this paper speculates that it is possible to not only recuperate the Third World woman into global feminist discourses but also, through her, consider the possibility and the promise of a regional Southeast Asian feminism.
This paper begins with a reading of three contemporary Southeast Asian films by women filmmakers ... more This paper begins with a reading of three contemporary Southeast Asian films by women filmmakers through a genre studies approach. It perceives the treatment of sexual violence and self-wrought justice in Nan Achnas’s Whispering Sands (Indonesia, 2001), Bui Kim Quy’s The Inseminator (Vietnam, 2014), and Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts (Indonesia, 2017) as evidence that sexual difference remains a key site in Southeast Asian women’s fiction. Drawing from keystone works in feminist film studies such as American film theorists Carol Clover’s Men, Women, Chain Saws (1992) Barbara Creed’s The Monstrous-feminine (1993), this paper reads the films as Southeast Asia’s take on the rape-revenge drama. By exploring them collectively and chronologically, this paper argues that the films traces evolutions in the region’s feminist movements and identities, even if the filmmakers themselves may not agree with such labelling of their work. More than exemplifying heterosexual binaries inherent in masculine-feminine debates regarding the vengeful woman as femme castratice (Creed) or phallicized (Clover), this paper ends by speculating on Southeast Asian feminism’s possible desire for queer futurity.
Before the dust of war settles, a wave of films documenting life in the ruins invariably surfaces... more Before the dust of war settles, a wave of films documenting life in the ruins invariably surfaces. Particularly in its early days, stories of ruin and rebuilding were told almost exclusively through tales of men, young and old, traversing bombed-out cities searching fruitlessly for work and semblances of the old world order.
Marzieh Meshkini and her two daughters, Samira and Hana Makhmalbaf, together resist the dominant approach within neo-realist cinema of dramatizing nationalism within theatres of masculinity. Set in Afghanistan during the immediate post-Taliban years, their films chronicle the struggles of the displaced through decidedly female perspectives. Contrary to the conventional focus on men in urban ruins, their films, particularly Samira Makhmalbaf's At Five in the Afternoon (2003) and Meshkini's Stray Dogs (2004), follow women, young and old, as they venture beyond the city into the expanse of the desert. In both films, these women's journeys are orchestrated by the men in their lives. Yet, there is clear indication that the desert becomes a site of the feminine, a counterpoint to the polis and its orders of patriarchy. This inadvertent staking of a female exilic domain transforms the desert into a womb. This interpretation of the films is informed by biopolitical paradigms outlined in Giorgio Agamben's Homo Sacer (1995) and psychoanalytic frameworks instated in Luce Irigaray's Speculum of the Other Woman (1973).
However, while these films amplify the audibility of female voices, feminine inaudibility is inflected on another level: that of filmmaking. Hana Makmalbaf's Joy of Madness (2003), a documentary chronicling the production of At Five in the Afternoon, complicates readings of the latter film as straightforwardly feminist. In adhering to the neorealist ethos of using non-professional actors, the film opens questions of directorial violence, which here manifests woman-on-woman. Also pertinent are the colonial implications of the Makmalbafs, affluent Iranian auteurs backed by state and international patronage, filming destitute postwar Afghans. Ultimately, this paper assesses the first significant emergence of female voices associated with the figure of the refugee. It argues that there is a desire to locate a feminine domain beyond the domestic and inscribe an alternate, audible female voice into the discourse of the aftermath. Concurrently, this paper rejects easy labels of these films as " feminist " , especially when assigned by virtue of their filmmakers' genders. It maintains that female-led, female-centered films, particularly within the neorealist tradition, is complicated by power relations evident in the hypertext.
Since its formation, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has held steadfast to its... more Since its formation, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has held steadfast to its mission of solidarity. This political imperative from within to identify collectively as a homogenous region, or at least a complementarily heterogeneous one, is persistently and publicly enacted through tourism. To mark its 50th anniversary in January 2017, ASEAN’s ten national tourism organisations will jointly launch the regional Visit ASEAN@50: Golden Celebration campaign. The campaign’s intentions are explicit: to advertise Southeast Asia (rather, ASEAN’s Southeast Asia) as a single, yet multi-faceted, tourist destination, and to incentivize travel to more than two nations per visit. The packaging and promotion of Southeast Asia as a cohesive tourist haven, one which is simultaneously one and many, forces the region to compartmentalize itself and manufacture identities that do not overlap yet do not compete.
This paper seeks to examine this Southeast Asian imaginary conjured through state-sanctioned tourism campaigns, with an emphasis on video-based advertising, or travel films. Attention will be drawn to the appropriation of signifiers to enhance visions of Southeast Asia, such as that of paradise iconography upon which the Southeast Asian island utopia is fashioned. Precedence is placed equally on ASEAN’s co-opting of orientalist conceptions as a marketing strategy, raising questions of fidelity and dissonance between the real and the reel, as well as the legitimacy of a collective Southeast Asian narrative. Ultimately, this paper brings perspectives of spectatorship, vis-à-vis psychoanalytic film theory, to the tourist gaze as it is directed by ASEAN’s take on nationalism and regionalism to deconstruct its production of the Southeast Asian image and imaginary.
There exists a political and politicized push for Southeast Asia to identify collectively as a ho... more There exists a political and politicized push for Southeast Asia to identify collectively as a homogenous
region, or at least one that is complementarily heterogeneous. This rhetoric was restated most recently
in 2014 at the 33rd ASEAN Tourism Forum, Advancing Tourism Together, where there was a call from
within to promote the region as a cohesive tourist haven. As this narrative transcends the realm of
politics and enters the collective consciousness of popular media, one wonders how coherent this desire
for cohesion actually is. Are Southeast Asian nations and cultures as depicted in cinema objectively
indiscernible from one another? If one omits dialogue and visual cues, would the endeavor to distinguish
the soundscape of one nation from the next be impossible even for locals?
This paper responds to the idea of Southeast Asia as a homogenous space and seeks to ascertain its
validity through analyzing cinematic soundscapes of and from the region. The first section compares the
region’s soundscapes as depicted in Southeast Asian cinemas and its international counterparts. The
second section analyzes the compositions of each Southeast Asian nation’s soundscapes as depicted in
its own national cinema. In doing so, this paper is able to identify the defining sounds of each nation and
thus determine if there is a core sound representative of Southeast Asia as a collective region. Both
sections raise questions of fidelity and dissonance between the real and the reel as well as the legitimacy
of a collective and cohesive Southeast Asian narrative and identity. Ultimately, this paper combines
perspectives of sound studies and film semiotics to address the perception of Southeast Asia as a region
of (aural) homogeneity.
In earlier sociolinguistics and linguistic anthropology research, the naturally-occurring speech ... more In earlier sociolinguistics and linguistic anthropology research, the naturally-occurring speech of authentic speakers collected from everyday conversation were considered ideal source of data. In addition to avoiding the observer’s paradox (e.g., Labov 1972), selectively focusing on linguistic features of native speakers’ vernacular practice has been regarded as the bona fide method of data collection for studies of language variation and linguistic ideology. As a result, until relatively recently, media speech, regarded largely as linguistic performance, has been considered inauthentic due to its fictional status. However, Stamou (2014: 119) explains that media speech can also be considered sociolinguistically ‘real’ on its own terms as linguistic performance is actually evident in the everyday conversations of authentic speakers as part of their linguistic styling repertoires.
The field of gender and sexuality studies views mainstream media as a common source of dichotomous ideologies concerning one’s gender and sexuality. Hegemonic ideas of femininity and masculinity are quickly accepted within cultural and historical contexts due to the constant reiteration of these hegemonic ideologies as commonsensical and ‘natural’. For this reason, processes of naturalization become relevant to the discussion of hegemonic normativity. The spreading of normative ideas owes its efficacy to both traditional and new media. As described by Johnson and Milani (2010), ideas with the most exposure eventually become dominant, possibly at the expense of traditional cultural ideals.
Taking these claims as a point of departure, this paper investigates how naturalization processes in media normalize the gendered, sexualized, and racialized attributes of East Asian characters in certain mainstream films, namely the James Bond series. In this franchise, the hyper-masculine and heterosexually-charged protagonist, Bond, has always been treated as the paramount of heroic masculinity. Inevitably, this comes at the expense of non-normative characters, including even those considered as allies. One frequently employed strategy is exoticization—the simplistic method of Othering by exaggerating characters’ ethnicities. Given the continued scrutiny under which the Bond franchise has developed, the accusation that it is riddled with racial as well as gender/sexual stereotypes comes as no surprise.
This paper addresses the (mis)representations of East Asian ideals of masculinity and femininity and the subsequent mediatization of East Asian cultures, languages, and peoples. Multimodal data analysis reveals that, while some ethnic and gendered stereotypes may prove credible, others are far from accurate. The objective of this presentation is to document the mediatization processes that serve to ‘naturally queer’ East Asian characters against the backdrop of a ‘hegemonically normative’ Bond. In other words, it explores how the dominant ideology assigns specific ‘queered’ social meanings to the hegemonically non-normative heroes and villains from East Asia, by frequently conflating different East Asian cultural attributes and practices, such as the mixing of distinct languages, martial arts, and attires. All in all, we argue that the Bond franchise has been politically (mis)representing its characters through the lens of hegemonic heterosexuality.
Johnson, Sally and Tommaso Milani (eds). 2010. Language ideologies and media discourse: Texts, practices, politics. London, U.K.: Continuum.
Labov, William. 1972. Sociolinguistic patterns. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: University of Pennsylvania.
Stamou, Anastasia. 2014. A literature review on the mediation of sociolinguistic style in television and cinematic fiction: Sustaining the ideology of authenticity. Language and Literature 23(2): 118–140.
This paper examines an artistic theme instrumental in producing and reproducing societal imaginat... more This paper examines an artistic theme instrumental in producing and reproducing societal imagination of motherhood— Madonna and Child portraiture.
Historically religious in subject matter, Madonna and Child portraiture has been appropriated by secular audiences. More than pictorial representations of mothers and their children, these portraits are illustrative instruction upon which (ideal) motherhood is premised and where, over time, an imagined archetype of the ideal mother emerged.
Though this theme has been reinvented by each artistic epoch, there are two which are fundamental to contemporary interpretation: the Byzantine and Renaissance eras. In the 12th century, Madonna and Child portraiture in Byzantine art developed into the highly sophisticated, celebrated, and replicated artistic theme we know today. Though it was later reinterpreted by Renaissance artists, such imagery remained popular in depicting both religious and secular maternity. However, while the Byzantine and Renaissance Madonnas are recognizably distinct from each other, the Modern Madonna borrows heavily from her two predecessors. As a result, despite dramatic upheaval in intellectual and social understanding of motherhood, modern images of mothers with their children are comparatively derivative and prescriptive in conceiving and perceiving maternity.
This paper begins by examining the two historic and historical Madonnas, then analyzing modern images of mothers with their children, before concluding with a discussion on transformation and stagnation in Madonna and Child portraiture. Key images across eras and mediums will be reviewed; these include well-known Byzantine altarpieces, museum-quality Renaissance paintings, and iconic 20th-century prints.
In essence, this paper does not argue for or against the seemingly eternal image of maternal tenderness and sacrifice embodied in Madonna and Child portraiture. Instead, it endeavors to explain how the fixation on capturing/producing and perpetuating/reproducing this aspect of motherhood dilutes the complexity of the maternal figure and confines it to a single image.
This paper explores selected Bond films to identify indexicals attributed to East Asian character... more This paper explores selected Bond films to identify indexicals attributed to East Asian characters.
In the 50 years since James Bond was introduced, his name has become synonymous with heroism and masculinity. Through iconic characteristics—sexual confidence, wit, sophistication, and expensive tastes—Bond’s image as a debonair and virile gentleman has been carefully orchestrated and upheld.
These representations of Bond, however, do not depend on the mediatization of his images alone; a bevy of secondary characters exist primarily to enregister Bond as the paramount of heroic masculinity. Inevitably, this comes at the expense of non-normative characters, even those considered allies. One frequently-employed strategy is the simplistic method of Othering through exaggerating characters’ ethnicities, i.e. exoticization. This accusation that the Bond franchise is riddled with racial (and gendered) stereotypes comes as no surprise, especially given the continued scrutiny under which it has developed. Nevertheless, there exists a gap in current scholarship addressing East Asian stereotypes.
To that end, this paper addresses the (mis)representations of East Asian ideals of masculinity and femininity and the subsequent mediatization of East Asian cultures, languages, and peoples. It may be granted that while some ethnic stereotypes could prove credible, others are far from accurate. Our objective is to investigate mediatization processes of East Asian characters and explore the social meanings enregistered in them. Attention will also be given to the frequent conflations of East Asian cultures such as the mixing of culture-specific martial arts, attires, and linguistic utterances.
"This paper examines masculinity as demonstrated in popular martial art films in an attempt to de... more "This paper examines masculinity as demonstrated in popular martial art films in an attempt to deepen current understanding of masculinity in Asia. By focusing on discourse patterns and visual art, we analyze the masculinity of both Asian and non-Asian characters from a Critical Discourse Analysis perspective in combination with multi-modal analytical methods.
It should be noted that our use of the term "Asian," relates specifically to "East Asian" as the characters in the chosen films are of Chinese or Japanese descent.
We selected martial art movies that won international mainstream viewership from the 1970s to 2010 and feature both Asian and non-Asian fighters. As stated by Connell (1995:76) hegemonic
masculinity “is not a fixed character type…. It is, rather, the masculinity that occupies the hegemonic position in a given pattern of gender relations, a position always contestable,” in other words, the specific form that masculinity takes is always culturally and historically fluid.
This paper will explore the multi-layered constructions of masculinity and deconstruct essentialist and dichotomized portrayals of Asian/ Non- Asian masculinity. While demonstrations of physical strength and size were essential to the construction of hegemonic masculinity popular in Hollywood’s Golden Age, Asian men were feminized, especially compared to Caucasian men, and were denied masculine (much less hypermasculine) roles. However, since Bruce Lee’s kung fu films in the 1970s, martial art films have increasingly begun to portray Asian males as masculine. Martial arts as something exotic and new to eyes of westerners, became increasing popular, eventually become a globally recognized genre in its own right.
For this study, we selected the films that (1) had international circulation, (2) featured both Asian and non-Asian actors, and (3) involved (potential) female love interest(s) for the main
character: Way of the Dragon (1972), Enter the Dragon (1973), The Karate Kid (1984), The Last Samurai (2003), Fearless (2006), Yip Man 2 (2010), and True Legend (2010).
We investigate distinctive characteristics of manhood exhibited in these films by both Asian and non-Asian actors. Our goal is to reveal complex constructions and representations of masculinity and maleness articulated in the genre of martial art films.
Despite their common roots, is there a difference between the martial arts practiced by westerners and those practiced by Asians? How do martial art films deal with heterosexual norms such as the treatment of stereotypically effeminate homosexual males, asexual males, orheterosexual women? To answer these questions, specific linguistic tokens were selected for our analysis including the use of silence, philosophical utterances, imperatives, polite/impolite expressions, and interruptions. Although our analysis is mainly based on English dubbings orsubtitles (depending on availability), we were also attentive to the social meaning of the dialogue in the non-English (Mandarin) speaking films.
Our findings suggest that certain virtues in martial arts, such as the tendency to respond with silence, were practiced by both Asian and non-Asian martial artists, though some of these virtues were not present in non-Asian characters. For example, while the importance of heterosexual relationships or the ability to satisfy women sexually were highlighted for non-Asian men, Asian martial artists did not demonstrate sexual romanticism. Linguistically, while both Asian and non-Asian martial artists show frequent uses of imperatives, the Asian men tended to express themselves through
philosophical expressions more frequently than their non-Asian counterparts."
Uploads
Papers by Phoebe Pua
This essay is a revised version of Chapters 1 and 4 of Compositions of crisis: Sound and silence in the films of Bergman and Tarkovsky, which can be accessed in full via https://www.academia.edu/7553371/Compositions_of_crisis_Sound_and_silence_in_the_films_of_Bergman_and_Tarkovsky
These films were chosen as they represent the deepest periods of two directors’ engagements with the possible death of God and the subsequent loss of intrinsic existential meaning—topics with which this thesis is principally concerned.
As a starting point, this thesis argues that the films present the silence of God as the primary indicator of God’s absence from the human world. Becoming aware of this silence thus causes one to interrogate religious certainties which have hitherto been taken to be timeless and true. This thesis then contends that, when faced with this silence and its implications, Bergman desperately sought evidence of God’s existence while Tarkovsky unyieldingly maintained an attitude of faith.
The directors’ progressions toward these contrasting positions are evident through the uses of sound elements in their films. As Bergman unsuccessfully pursued evidence of God’s existence, the soundscapes in his four films become increasingly minimal. The sparse use of sound reveals Bergman’s conception of a Godless void. On the other hand, metaphysical silence in Tarkovsky’s films was not perceived as emptiness. Instead, “silence” in his films was, paradoxically, often depicted through complex layers of sounds. Presented as manifestations of the metaphysical, the sounds of “silence” in Tarkovsky’s films consequently become affirmations of faith.
Through this sound-based approach to film analysis, this thesis sets out to explain why Bergman and Tarkovsky understood metaphysical silence so differently by examining how they portrayed literal silences.
Conference Presentations by Phoebe Pua
Through an analysis of the films’ formal qualities that pays particular attention to the use of expressionist elements, this paper demonstrates how the films actively establish an intimate relationship between the Third World woman and the rural landscape, framing the latter as a necessary part of the former’s eventual will-to-power. In doing so, this paper argues that these films and their filmmakers have— consciously or not— created a new mythic hero. She of outlands is envisioned as the Southeast Asian female equivalent of the Western genre’s frontier man, a figure of the past conjured by the present to embody uncertain anticipation of the future. To that end, this paper proposes that in reinterpreting the well-worn Third World woman archetype this way, these films effectively remobilize her for new purposes— that is, to imagine a 21st century Southeast Asian female identity that has yet to be explicitly articulated. Ultimately, this paper speculates that it is possible to not only recuperate the Third World woman into global feminist discourses but also, through her, consider the possibility and the promise of a regional Southeast Asian feminism.
Marzieh Meshkini and her two daughters, Samira and Hana Makhmalbaf, together resist the dominant approach within neo-realist cinema of dramatizing nationalism within theatres of masculinity. Set in Afghanistan during the immediate post-Taliban years, their films chronicle the struggles of the displaced through decidedly female perspectives. Contrary to the conventional focus on men in urban ruins, their films, particularly Samira Makhmalbaf's At Five in the Afternoon (2003) and Meshkini's Stray Dogs (2004), follow women, young and old, as they venture beyond the city into the expanse of the desert. In both films, these women's journeys are orchestrated by the men in their lives. Yet, there is clear indication that the desert becomes a site of the feminine, a counterpoint to the polis and its orders of patriarchy. This inadvertent staking of a female exilic domain transforms the desert into a womb. This interpretation of the films is informed by biopolitical paradigms outlined in Giorgio Agamben's Homo Sacer (1995) and psychoanalytic frameworks instated in Luce Irigaray's Speculum of the Other Woman (1973).
However, while these films amplify the audibility of female voices, feminine inaudibility is inflected on another level: that of filmmaking. Hana Makmalbaf's Joy of Madness (2003), a documentary chronicling the production of At Five in the Afternoon, complicates readings of the latter film as straightforwardly feminist. In adhering to the neorealist ethos of using non-professional actors, the film opens questions of directorial violence, which here manifests woman-on-woman. Also pertinent are the colonial implications of the Makmalbafs, affluent Iranian auteurs backed by state and international patronage, filming destitute postwar Afghans. Ultimately, this paper assesses the first significant emergence of female voices associated with the figure of the refugee. It argues that there is a desire to locate a feminine domain beyond the domestic and inscribe an alternate, audible female voice into the discourse of the aftermath. Concurrently, this paper rejects easy labels of these films as " feminist " , especially when assigned by virtue of their filmmakers' genders. It maintains that female-led, female-centered films, particularly within the neorealist tradition, is complicated by power relations evident in the hypertext.
This paper seeks to examine this Southeast Asian imaginary conjured through state-sanctioned tourism campaigns, with an emphasis on video-based advertising, or travel films. Attention will be drawn to the appropriation of signifiers to enhance visions of Southeast Asia, such as that of paradise iconography upon which the Southeast Asian island utopia is fashioned. Precedence is placed equally on ASEAN’s co-opting of orientalist conceptions as a marketing strategy, raising questions of fidelity and dissonance between the real and the reel, as well as the legitimacy of a collective Southeast Asian narrative. Ultimately, this paper brings perspectives of spectatorship, vis-à-vis psychoanalytic film theory, to the tourist gaze as it is directed by ASEAN’s take on nationalism and regionalism to deconstruct its production of the Southeast Asian image and imaginary.
region, or at least one that is complementarily heterogeneous. This rhetoric was restated most recently
in 2014 at the 33rd ASEAN Tourism Forum, Advancing Tourism Together, where there was a call from
within to promote the region as a cohesive tourist haven. As this narrative transcends the realm of
politics and enters the collective consciousness of popular media, one wonders how coherent this desire
for cohesion actually is. Are Southeast Asian nations and cultures as depicted in cinema objectively
indiscernible from one another? If one omits dialogue and visual cues, would the endeavor to distinguish
the soundscape of one nation from the next be impossible even for locals?
This paper responds to the idea of Southeast Asia as a homogenous space and seeks to ascertain its
validity through analyzing cinematic soundscapes of and from the region. The first section compares the
region’s soundscapes as depicted in Southeast Asian cinemas and its international counterparts. The
second section analyzes the compositions of each Southeast Asian nation’s soundscapes as depicted in
its own national cinema. In doing so, this paper is able to identify the defining sounds of each nation and
thus determine if there is a core sound representative of Southeast Asia as a collective region. Both
sections raise questions of fidelity and dissonance between the real and the reel as well as the legitimacy
of a collective and cohesive Southeast Asian narrative and identity. Ultimately, this paper combines
perspectives of sound studies and film semiotics to address the perception of Southeast Asia as a region
of (aural) homogeneity.
The field of gender and sexuality studies views mainstream media as a common source of dichotomous ideologies concerning one’s gender and sexuality. Hegemonic ideas of femininity and masculinity are quickly accepted within cultural and historical contexts due to the constant reiteration of these hegemonic ideologies as commonsensical and ‘natural’. For this reason, processes of naturalization become relevant to the discussion of hegemonic normativity. The spreading of normative ideas owes its efficacy to both traditional and new media. As described by Johnson and Milani (2010), ideas with the most exposure eventually become dominant, possibly at the expense of traditional cultural ideals.
Taking these claims as a point of departure, this paper investigates how naturalization processes in media normalize the gendered, sexualized, and racialized attributes of East Asian characters in certain mainstream films, namely the James Bond series. In this franchise, the hyper-masculine and heterosexually-charged protagonist, Bond, has always been treated as the paramount of heroic masculinity. Inevitably, this comes at the expense of non-normative characters, including even those considered as allies. One frequently employed strategy is exoticization—the simplistic method of Othering by exaggerating characters’ ethnicities. Given the continued scrutiny under which the Bond franchise has developed, the accusation that it is riddled with racial as well as gender/sexual stereotypes comes as no surprise.
This paper addresses the (mis)representations of East Asian ideals of masculinity and femininity and the subsequent mediatization of East Asian cultures, languages, and peoples. Multimodal data analysis reveals that, while some ethnic and gendered stereotypes may prove credible, others are far from accurate. The objective of this presentation is to document the mediatization processes that serve to ‘naturally queer’ East Asian characters against the backdrop of a ‘hegemonically normative’ Bond. In other words, it explores how the dominant ideology assigns specific ‘queered’ social meanings to the hegemonically non-normative heroes and villains from East Asia, by frequently conflating different East Asian cultural attributes and practices, such as the mixing of distinct languages, martial arts, and attires. All in all, we argue that the Bond franchise has been politically (mis)representing its characters through the lens of hegemonic heterosexuality.
Johnson, Sally and Tommaso Milani (eds). 2010. Language ideologies and media discourse: Texts, practices, politics. London, U.K.: Continuum.
Labov, William. 1972. Sociolinguistic patterns. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: University of Pennsylvania.
Stamou, Anastasia. 2014. A literature review on the mediation of sociolinguistic style in television and cinematic fiction: Sustaining the ideology of authenticity. Language and Literature 23(2): 118–140.
Historically religious in subject matter, Madonna and Child portraiture has been appropriated by secular audiences. More than pictorial representations of mothers and their children, these portraits are illustrative instruction upon which (ideal) motherhood is premised and where, over time, an imagined archetype of the ideal mother emerged.
Though this theme has been reinvented by each artistic epoch, there are two which are fundamental to contemporary interpretation: the Byzantine and Renaissance eras. In the 12th century, Madonna and Child portraiture in Byzantine art developed into the highly sophisticated, celebrated, and replicated artistic theme we know today. Though it was later reinterpreted by Renaissance artists, such imagery remained popular in depicting both religious and secular maternity. However, while the Byzantine and Renaissance Madonnas are recognizably distinct from each other, the Modern Madonna borrows heavily from her two predecessors. As a result, despite dramatic upheaval in intellectual and social understanding of motherhood, modern images of mothers with their children are comparatively derivative and prescriptive in conceiving and perceiving maternity.
This paper begins by examining the two historic and historical Madonnas, then analyzing modern images of mothers with their children, before concluding with a discussion on transformation and stagnation in Madonna and Child portraiture. Key images across eras and mediums will be reviewed; these include well-known Byzantine altarpieces, museum-quality Renaissance paintings, and iconic 20th-century prints.
In essence, this paper does not argue for or against the seemingly eternal image of maternal tenderness and sacrifice embodied in Madonna and Child portraiture. Instead, it endeavors to explain how the fixation on capturing/producing and perpetuating/reproducing this aspect of motherhood dilutes the complexity of the maternal figure and confines it to a single image.
In the 50 years since James Bond was introduced, his name has become synonymous with heroism and masculinity. Through iconic characteristics—sexual confidence, wit, sophistication, and expensive tastes—Bond’s image as a debonair and virile gentleman has been carefully orchestrated and upheld.
These representations of Bond, however, do not depend on the mediatization of his images alone; a bevy of secondary characters exist primarily to enregister Bond as the paramount of heroic masculinity. Inevitably, this comes at the expense of non-normative characters, even those considered allies. One frequently-employed strategy is the simplistic method of Othering through exaggerating characters’ ethnicities, i.e. exoticization. This accusation that the Bond franchise is riddled with racial (and gendered) stereotypes comes as no surprise, especially given the continued scrutiny under which it has developed. Nevertheless, there exists a gap in current scholarship addressing East Asian stereotypes.
To that end, this paper addresses the (mis)representations of East Asian ideals of masculinity and femininity and the subsequent mediatization of East Asian cultures, languages, and peoples. It may be granted that while some ethnic stereotypes could prove credible, others are far from accurate. Our objective is to investigate mediatization processes of East Asian characters and explore the social meanings enregistered in them. Attention will also be given to the frequent conflations of East Asian cultures such as the mixing of culture-specific martial arts, attires, and linguistic utterances.
It should be noted that our use of the term "Asian," relates specifically to "East Asian" as the characters in the chosen films are of Chinese or Japanese descent.
We selected martial art movies that won international mainstream viewership from the 1970s to 2010 and feature both Asian and non-Asian fighters. As stated by Connell (1995:76) hegemonic
masculinity “is not a fixed character type…. It is, rather, the masculinity that occupies the hegemonic position in a given pattern of gender relations, a position always contestable,” in other words, the specific form that masculinity takes is always culturally and historically fluid.
This paper will explore the multi-layered constructions of masculinity and deconstruct essentialist and dichotomized portrayals of Asian/ Non- Asian masculinity. While demonstrations of physical strength and size were essential to the construction of hegemonic masculinity popular in Hollywood’s Golden Age, Asian men were feminized, especially compared to Caucasian men, and were denied masculine (much less hypermasculine) roles. However, since Bruce Lee’s kung fu films in the 1970s, martial art films have increasingly begun to portray Asian males as masculine. Martial arts as something exotic and new to eyes of westerners, became increasing popular, eventually become a globally recognized genre in its own right.
For this study, we selected the films that (1) had international circulation, (2) featured both Asian and non-Asian actors, and (3) involved (potential) female love interest(s) for the main
character: Way of the Dragon (1972), Enter the Dragon (1973), The Karate Kid (1984), The Last Samurai (2003), Fearless (2006), Yip Man 2 (2010), and True Legend (2010).
We investigate distinctive characteristics of manhood exhibited in these films by both Asian and non-Asian actors. Our goal is to reveal complex constructions and representations of masculinity and maleness articulated in the genre of martial art films.
Despite their common roots, is there a difference between the martial arts practiced by westerners and those practiced by Asians? How do martial art films deal with heterosexual norms such as the treatment of stereotypically effeminate homosexual males, asexual males, orheterosexual women? To answer these questions, specific linguistic tokens were selected for our analysis including the use of silence, philosophical utterances, imperatives, polite/impolite expressions, and interruptions. Although our analysis is mainly based on English dubbings orsubtitles (depending on availability), we were also attentive to the social meaning of the dialogue in the non-English (Mandarin) speaking films.
Our findings suggest that certain virtues in martial arts, such as the tendency to respond with silence, were practiced by both Asian and non-Asian martial artists, though some of these virtues were not present in non-Asian characters. For example, while the importance of heterosexual relationships or the ability to satisfy women sexually were highlighted for non-Asian men, Asian martial artists did not demonstrate sexual romanticism. Linguistically, while both Asian and non-Asian martial artists show frequent uses of imperatives, the Asian men tended to express themselves through
philosophical expressions more frequently than their non-Asian counterparts."
This essay is a revised version of Chapters 1 and 4 of Compositions of crisis: Sound and silence in the films of Bergman and Tarkovsky, which can be accessed in full via https://www.academia.edu/7553371/Compositions_of_crisis_Sound_and_silence_in_the_films_of_Bergman_and_Tarkovsky
These films were chosen as they represent the deepest periods of two directors’ engagements with the possible death of God and the subsequent loss of intrinsic existential meaning—topics with which this thesis is principally concerned.
As a starting point, this thesis argues that the films present the silence of God as the primary indicator of God’s absence from the human world. Becoming aware of this silence thus causes one to interrogate religious certainties which have hitherto been taken to be timeless and true. This thesis then contends that, when faced with this silence and its implications, Bergman desperately sought evidence of God’s existence while Tarkovsky unyieldingly maintained an attitude of faith.
The directors’ progressions toward these contrasting positions are evident through the uses of sound elements in their films. As Bergman unsuccessfully pursued evidence of God’s existence, the soundscapes in his four films become increasingly minimal. The sparse use of sound reveals Bergman’s conception of a Godless void. On the other hand, metaphysical silence in Tarkovsky’s films was not perceived as emptiness. Instead, “silence” in his films was, paradoxically, often depicted through complex layers of sounds. Presented as manifestations of the metaphysical, the sounds of “silence” in Tarkovsky’s films consequently become affirmations of faith.
Through this sound-based approach to film analysis, this thesis sets out to explain why Bergman and Tarkovsky understood metaphysical silence so differently by examining how they portrayed literal silences.
Through an analysis of the films’ formal qualities that pays particular attention to the use of expressionist elements, this paper demonstrates how the films actively establish an intimate relationship between the Third World woman and the rural landscape, framing the latter as a necessary part of the former’s eventual will-to-power. In doing so, this paper argues that these films and their filmmakers have— consciously or not— created a new mythic hero. She of outlands is envisioned as the Southeast Asian female equivalent of the Western genre’s frontier man, a figure of the past conjured by the present to embody uncertain anticipation of the future. To that end, this paper proposes that in reinterpreting the well-worn Third World woman archetype this way, these films effectively remobilize her for new purposes— that is, to imagine a 21st century Southeast Asian female identity that has yet to be explicitly articulated. Ultimately, this paper speculates that it is possible to not only recuperate the Third World woman into global feminist discourses but also, through her, consider the possibility and the promise of a regional Southeast Asian feminism.
Marzieh Meshkini and her two daughters, Samira and Hana Makhmalbaf, together resist the dominant approach within neo-realist cinema of dramatizing nationalism within theatres of masculinity. Set in Afghanistan during the immediate post-Taliban years, their films chronicle the struggles of the displaced through decidedly female perspectives. Contrary to the conventional focus on men in urban ruins, their films, particularly Samira Makhmalbaf's At Five in the Afternoon (2003) and Meshkini's Stray Dogs (2004), follow women, young and old, as they venture beyond the city into the expanse of the desert. In both films, these women's journeys are orchestrated by the men in their lives. Yet, there is clear indication that the desert becomes a site of the feminine, a counterpoint to the polis and its orders of patriarchy. This inadvertent staking of a female exilic domain transforms the desert into a womb. This interpretation of the films is informed by biopolitical paradigms outlined in Giorgio Agamben's Homo Sacer (1995) and psychoanalytic frameworks instated in Luce Irigaray's Speculum of the Other Woman (1973).
However, while these films amplify the audibility of female voices, feminine inaudibility is inflected on another level: that of filmmaking. Hana Makmalbaf's Joy of Madness (2003), a documentary chronicling the production of At Five in the Afternoon, complicates readings of the latter film as straightforwardly feminist. In adhering to the neorealist ethos of using non-professional actors, the film opens questions of directorial violence, which here manifests woman-on-woman. Also pertinent are the colonial implications of the Makmalbafs, affluent Iranian auteurs backed by state and international patronage, filming destitute postwar Afghans. Ultimately, this paper assesses the first significant emergence of female voices associated with the figure of the refugee. It argues that there is a desire to locate a feminine domain beyond the domestic and inscribe an alternate, audible female voice into the discourse of the aftermath. Concurrently, this paper rejects easy labels of these films as " feminist " , especially when assigned by virtue of their filmmakers' genders. It maintains that female-led, female-centered films, particularly within the neorealist tradition, is complicated by power relations evident in the hypertext.
This paper seeks to examine this Southeast Asian imaginary conjured through state-sanctioned tourism campaigns, with an emphasis on video-based advertising, or travel films. Attention will be drawn to the appropriation of signifiers to enhance visions of Southeast Asia, such as that of paradise iconography upon which the Southeast Asian island utopia is fashioned. Precedence is placed equally on ASEAN’s co-opting of orientalist conceptions as a marketing strategy, raising questions of fidelity and dissonance between the real and the reel, as well as the legitimacy of a collective Southeast Asian narrative. Ultimately, this paper brings perspectives of spectatorship, vis-à-vis psychoanalytic film theory, to the tourist gaze as it is directed by ASEAN’s take on nationalism and regionalism to deconstruct its production of the Southeast Asian image and imaginary.
region, or at least one that is complementarily heterogeneous. This rhetoric was restated most recently
in 2014 at the 33rd ASEAN Tourism Forum, Advancing Tourism Together, where there was a call from
within to promote the region as a cohesive tourist haven. As this narrative transcends the realm of
politics and enters the collective consciousness of popular media, one wonders how coherent this desire
for cohesion actually is. Are Southeast Asian nations and cultures as depicted in cinema objectively
indiscernible from one another? If one omits dialogue and visual cues, would the endeavor to distinguish
the soundscape of one nation from the next be impossible even for locals?
This paper responds to the idea of Southeast Asia as a homogenous space and seeks to ascertain its
validity through analyzing cinematic soundscapes of and from the region. The first section compares the
region’s soundscapes as depicted in Southeast Asian cinemas and its international counterparts. The
second section analyzes the compositions of each Southeast Asian nation’s soundscapes as depicted in
its own national cinema. In doing so, this paper is able to identify the defining sounds of each nation and
thus determine if there is a core sound representative of Southeast Asia as a collective region. Both
sections raise questions of fidelity and dissonance between the real and the reel as well as the legitimacy
of a collective and cohesive Southeast Asian narrative and identity. Ultimately, this paper combines
perspectives of sound studies and film semiotics to address the perception of Southeast Asia as a region
of (aural) homogeneity.
The field of gender and sexuality studies views mainstream media as a common source of dichotomous ideologies concerning one’s gender and sexuality. Hegemonic ideas of femininity and masculinity are quickly accepted within cultural and historical contexts due to the constant reiteration of these hegemonic ideologies as commonsensical and ‘natural’. For this reason, processes of naturalization become relevant to the discussion of hegemonic normativity. The spreading of normative ideas owes its efficacy to both traditional and new media. As described by Johnson and Milani (2010), ideas with the most exposure eventually become dominant, possibly at the expense of traditional cultural ideals.
Taking these claims as a point of departure, this paper investigates how naturalization processes in media normalize the gendered, sexualized, and racialized attributes of East Asian characters in certain mainstream films, namely the James Bond series. In this franchise, the hyper-masculine and heterosexually-charged protagonist, Bond, has always been treated as the paramount of heroic masculinity. Inevitably, this comes at the expense of non-normative characters, including even those considered as allies. One frequently employed strategy is exoticization—the simplistic method of Othering by exaggerating characters’ ethnicities. Given the continued scrutiny under which the Bond franchise has developed, the accusation that it is riddled with racial as well as gender/sexual stereotypes comes as no surprise.
This paper addresses the (mis)representations of East Asian ideals of masculinity and femininity and the subsequent mediatization of East Asian cultures, languages, and peoples. Multimodal data analysis reveals that, while some ethnic and gendered stereotypes may prove credible, others are far from accurate. The objective of this presentation is to document the mediatization processes that serve to ‘naturally queer’ East Asian characters against the backdrop of a ‘hegemonically normative’ Bond. In other words, it explores how the dominant ideology assigns specific ‘queered’ social meanings to the hegemonically non-normative heroes and villains from East Asia, by frequently conflating different East Asian cultural attributes and practices, such as the mixing of distinct languages, martial arts, and attires. All in all, we argue that the Bond franchise has been politically (mis)representing its characters through the lens of hegemonic heterosexuality.
Johnson, Sally and Tommaso Milani (eds). 2010. Language ideologies and media discourse: Texts, practices, politics. London, U.K.: Continuum.
Labov, William. 1972. Sociolinguistic patterns. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: University of Pennsylvania.
Stamou, Anastasia. 2014. A literature review on the mediation of sociolinguistic style in television and cinematic fiction: Sustaining the ideology of authenticity. Language and Literature 23(2): 118–140.
Historically religious in subject matter, Madonna and Child portraiture has been appropriated by secular audiences. More than pictorial representations of mothers and their children, these portraits are illustrative instruction upon which (ideal) motherhood is premised and where, over time, an imagined archetype of the ideal mother emerged.
Though this theme has been reinvented by each artistic epoch, there are two which are fundamental to contemporary interpretation: the Byzantine and Renaissance eras. In the 12th century, Madonna and Child portraiture in Byzantine art developed into the highly sophisticated, celebrated, and replicated artistic theme we know today. Though it was later reinterpreted by Renaissance artists, such imagery remained popular in depicting both religious and secular maternity. However, while the Byzantine and Renaissance Madonnas are recognizably distinct from each other, the Modern Madonna borrows heavily from her two predecessors. As a result, despite dramatic upheaval in intellectual and social understanding of motherhood, modern images of mothers with their children are comparatively derivative and prescriptive in conceiving and perceiving maternity.
This paper begins by examining the two historic and historical Madonnas, then analyzing modern images of mothers with their children, before concluding with a discussion on transformation and stagnation in Madonna and Child portraiture. Key images across eras and mediums will be reviewed; these include well-known Byzantine altarpieces, museum-quality Renaissance paintings, and iconic 20th-century prints.
In essence, this paper does not argue for or against the seemingly eternal image of maternal tenderness and sacrifice embodied in Madonna and Child portraiture. Instead, it endeavors to explain how the fixation on capturing/producing and perpetuating/reproducing this aspect of motherhood dilutes the complexity of the maternal figure and confines it to a single image.
In the 50 years since James Bond was introduced, his name has become synonymous with heroism and masculinity. Through iconic characteristics—sexual confidence, wit, sophistication, and expensive tastes—Bond’s image as a debonair and virile gentleman has been carefully orchestrated and upheld.
These representations of Bond, however, do not depend on the mediatization of his images alone; a bevy of secondary characters exist primarily to enregister Bond as the paramount of heroic masculinity. Inevitably, this comes at the expense of non-normative characters, even those considered allies. One frequently-employed strategy is the simplistic method of Othering through exaggerating characters’ ethnicities, i.e. exoticization. This accusation that the Bond franchise is riddled with racial (and gendered) stereotypes comes as no surprise, especially given the continued scrutiny under which it has developed. Nevertheless, there exists a gap in current scholarship addressing East Asian stereotypes.
To that end, this paper addresses the (mis)representations of East Asian ideals of masculinity and femininity and the subsequent mediatization of East Asian cultures, languages, and peoples. It may be granted that while some ethnic stereotypes could prove credible, others are far from accurate. Our objective is to investigate mediatization processes of East Asian characters and explore the social meanings enregistered in them. Attention will also be given to the frequent conflations of East Asian cultures such as the mixing of culture-specific martial arts, attires, and linguistic utterances.
It should be noted that our use of the term "Asian," relates specifically to "East Asian" as the characters in the chosen films are of Chinese or Japanese descent.
We selected martial art movies that won international mainstream viewership from the 1970s to 2010 and feature both Asian and non-Asian fighters. As stated by Connell (1995:76) hegemonic
masculinity “is not a fixed character type…. It is, rather, the masculinity that occupies the hegemonic position in a given pattern of gender relations, a position always contestable,” in other words, the specific form that masculinity takes is always culturally and historically fluid.
This paper will explore the multi-layered constructions of masculinity and deconstruct essentialist and dichotomized portrayals of Asian/ Non- Asian masculinity. While demonstrations of physical strength and size were essential to the construction of hegemonic masculinity popular in Hollywood’s Golden Age, Asian men were feminized, especially compared to Caucasian men, and were denied masculine (much less hypermasculine) roles. However, since Bruce Lee’s kung fu films in the 1970s, martial art films have increasingly begun to portray Asian males as masculine. Martial arts as something exotic and new to eyes of westerners, became increasing popular, eventually become a globally recognized genre in its own right.
For this study, we selected the films that (1) had international circulation, (2) featured both Asian and non-Asian actors, and (3) involved (potential) female love interest(s) for the main
character: Way of the Dragon (1972), Enter the Dragon (1973), The Karate Kid (1984), The Last Samurai (2003), Fearless (2006), Yip Man 2 (2010), and True Legend (2010).
We investigate distinctive characteristics of manhood exhibited in these films by both Asian and non-Asian actors. Our goal is to reveal complex constructions and representations of masculinity and maleness articulated in the genre of martial art films.
Despite their common roots, is there a difference between the martial arts practiced by westerners and those practiced by Asians? How do martial art films deal with heterosexual norms such as the treatment of stereotypically effeminate homosexual males, asexual males, orheterosexual women? To answer these questions, specific linguistic tokens were selected for our analysis including the use of silence, philosophical utterances, imperatives, polite/impolite expressions, and interruptions. Although our analysis is mainly based on English dubbings orsubtitles (depending on availability), we were also attentive to the social meaning of the dialogue in the non-English (Mandarin) speaking films.
Our findings suggest that certain virtues in martial arts, such as the tendency to respond with silence, were practiced by both Asian and non-Asian martial artists, though some of these virtues were not present in non-Asian characters. For example, while the importance of heterosexual relationships or the ability to satisfy women sexually were highlighted for non-Asian men, Asian martial artists did not demonstrate sexual romanticism. Linguistically, while both Asian and non-Asian martial artists show frequent uses of imperatives, the Asian men tended to express themselves through
philosophical expressions more frequently than their non-Asian counterparts."
Alongside the rejuvenation of the Youth Critics Programme, the Singapore International Film Festival launches the programme’s inaugural publication: Atlas. This first volume presents 19 essays on Asian cinema, charting new ways of encountering the festival’s 33rd programme.
Under the mentorship of editor and film researcher Phoebe Pua, this anthology roams across critical reflections, interviews and personal letters from our emerging film writers. Each a unique coordinate on the map of cinematic discourse.
Authors include Tarini Begani, Ryan-Ashleigh Boey, Jeffrey Deyto, Jolie Fan, Shelby Kho, Sasha Han, Seng Savunthara, Tan Mei Qi, Benjamin Yap, and Christina Yeo.