Thursday, April 9th, 4:00pm Cancelled due to concerns of COVID-19.
WLH Rm 309
“Queer Liberalism and New Social Movements in Asia”
As Taiwan became the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage in 2019, the idea that economic liberalism (free market capitalism) would inevitably lead to political liberalism (gay rights) has become an entrenched narrative in international discussions of the pasts and futures of queer asia. Much of the evidence for this narrative is derived from the contrast between the Chinese-speaking communities - between the “liberal” societies of Taiwan and Hong Kong and the “illiberal” regimes of the PRC and Signapore. In lieu of this common view of a unilinear, globalizing queer liberalism, this talk offers a more complex understanding of new social movements and rising inequalities in queer Asia by situating their formations in the context of Cold War legacies.
For more information on this year’s WGSS Speaker Series, Transnationalizing Queer Studies, click here.