ABOUT THIS BOOK

In Sexuality and the Rise of China Travis S. K. Kong examines the changing meanings of same-sex identities, communities, and cultures for young Chinese gay men in contemporary Hong Kong, Taiwan, and mainland China. Drawing on ninety life stories, Kong’s transnational queer sociological approach shows the complex interplay between personal biography and the dramatically changing social institutions in these three societies. Kong conceptualizes coming out as relational politics and the queer/tongzhi community and commons as an affective, imaginative means of connecting, governed by homonormative masculinity. He shows how monogamy is a form of cruel optimism and envisions state and sexuality intertwining in different versions of homonationalism in each location. Tracing the alternately diverging and converging paths of being young, "Chinese," gay, and male, Kong reveals how both Western and emerging inter- and intra- Asian queer cultures shape queer/tongzhi experiences. Most significantly, at this historical juncture characterized by the rise of China, Kong criticizes the globalization of sexuality by emphasizing inter-Asia modeling, referencing, and solidarities and debunks the essentializing myth of Chineseness, thereby decolonizing Western sexual knowledge and demonstrating the differential meanings of Chineseness/queerness across the Sinophone world.

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY

Travis S. K. Kong is Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Hong Kong and author of Oral Histories of Older Gay Men in Hong Kong: Unspoken but Unforgotten and Chinese Male Homosexualities: Memba, Tongzhi and Golden Boy.

REVIEWS

“Challenging the teleological trajectory of the sexual emancipation model through sociological analysis and compelling storytelling, Sexuality and the Rise of China argues that assessments of social openness cannot reveal the full complexities of inter-Asian constructions of queer lives. Travis S. K. Kong is particularly insightful in demonstrating how the intertwining of the state, politics, and sexuality leads to some unexpected findings about the acceptance or repression of gay rights.”

-- Lisa Rofel, author of Desiring China: Experiments in Neoliberalism, Sexuality, and Public Culture

"The combination of ethnographic detail and nuanced analysis make Sexuality and the Rise of China a fascinating, compelling and highly readable account of the social shaping of tongzhi lives."

-- Stevi Jackson Asian Anthropology

"The transnational queer sociology approach used in this study has resulted in a detailed and revealing account of how the post-90s gay generation in Greater China are negotiating their lives, relationships, and identities under the sway of rapid socio-economic and political change. In addition, the study offers a set of innovative and instructive theoretical and methodological ways forward, ones that are locally or regionally sensitive, to research the sociopolitical dimensions of sexuality beyond dominant Western paradigms and sensibilities. Thus, for anyone with research interests in sexuality issues in Greater China and other Asian regions, Kong’s book will become foundational reading. Finally, and in the spirit of transdisciplinarity, the book will provide those of us who are working on queer issues from other backgrounds (for example, in language/discourse studies, anthropology, education studies, or social work) much inspiration."

-- Benedict J.L. Rowlett Journal of Homosexuality

"For anyone working on sexual cultures in East Asia and beyond, this book is essential reading. Its readability and clarity, and profoundly personal style of writing, without compromising on theoretical depth, also make it highly recommended for teaching purposes."

-- Jeroen de Kloet China Information

"A bold, insightful contribution to the growing literature on gay sexualities in three Chinese-speaking societies. . . Sexuality and the Rise of China is a highly innovative account both empirically and conceptually. Kong deftly engages with a vast corpus of Western and non-Western literatures while remaining grounded in personal and local narratives. . . . The book also is a vivid ethnographic account that can be assigned to undergraduate as well as graduate students interested in a readable, non-Western perspective on queer sociology."

-- James Farrer GLQ

"The book makes an important contribution to the studies of Chinese homosexualities in particular and men and masculinities more broadly. Its rigorous theoretical discussions and richness of ethnographical details make it a pleasant read for both students and scholars interested in gender and sexuality in Asia and in the world today."

-- Lin Song Men and Masculinities

"Whether for a general reader who wants to learn more about queer life in Asia or an academic scholar with a research interest in Asian queer studies, this book is definitely worth reading."

-- Linqiu Li LSE Review of Books

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Tongzhi

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