Dr Phiona Stanley P.Stanley@napier.ac.uk
Associate Professor
Superheroes in Shanghai: constructing transnational Western men's identities
Stanley, Phiona
Authors
Abstract
This article examines the ‘superhero’ phenomenon, in which Western masculinity is constructed differently in East Asia than in Western countries. This produces an imagined, Occidentalist ‘authenticity’ that frames expectations about the performances and identities of Western men in the context. As a result, sojourning Western men in Asia may feel, and be treated, like ‘superheroes’, because their gendered national identities are attributed (super)powers that are often unfamiliar from prior experiences in their home countries. These object (attributed) identities may be different from individuals' subject (appropriated) identities, with resulting identity tensions for the men themselves. This article reports on empirical, qualitative research from China, and examines the lived realities and identity/masculinity constructions of seven young, heterosexual men, from the UK, the US and Canada, working in Shanghai as English language teachers. The study participants experienced perceptions of increased personal and sexual confidence but also identity tensions, concerns that relationships may be transactional and ethical struggles over peer-sanctioned and locally expected behaviours. The study is framed by literature from tourism studies on the commoditization of identities through the staging of out-group notions of ‘authenticity’. A critical approach is taken to the neo-imperialistic power differentials underpinning relationships in the context.
Citation
Stanley, P. (2012). Superheroes in Shanghai: constructing transnational Western men's identities. Gender, Place and Culture, 19(2), 213-231. https://doi.org/10.1080/0966369x.2011.573141
Journal Article Type | Article |
---|---|
Acceptance Date | Feb 1, 2011 |
Online Publication Date | May 9, 2011 |
Publication Date | 2012-04 |
Deposit Date | Feb 18, 2019 |
Journal | Gender Place and Culture: A Journal of Feminist Geography |
Print ISSN | 0966-369X |
Electronic ISSN | 1360-0524 |
Publisher | Routledge |
Peer Reviewed | Peer Reviewed |
Volume | 19 |
Issue | 2 |
Pages | 213-231 |
DOI | https://doi.org/10.1080/0966369x.2011.573141 |
Keywords | China, masculinities, English language teaching, transnationalism, authenticity, Occidentialism |
Public URL | http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/Output/1556851 |
Publisher URL | http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0966369X.2011.573141 |
You might also like
The problem with shaming people for Auschwitz selfies
(2024)
Digital Artefact
Queering queerness: Reflections on witches and spinsterhood in post-pandemic times
(2024)
Presentation / Conference
Theorizing gender in homestay settings: Mobilities and/as power relations
(2023)
Journal Article
Downloadable Citations
About Edinburgh Napier Research Repository
Administrator e-mail: repository@napier.ac.uk
This application uses the following open-source libraries:
SheetJS Community Edition
Apache License Version 2.0 (http://www.apache.org/licenses/)
PDF.js
Apache License Version 2.0 (http://www.apache.org/licenses/)
Font Awesome
SIL OFL 1.1 (http://scripts.sil.org/OFL)
MIT License (http://opensource.org/licenses/mit-license.html)
CC BY 3.0 ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/)
Powered by Worktribe © 2024
Advanced Search