How “Big Heroine” is Created? A Cultural Performance Analysis on Digital Public Discourse in China

• In Event: Sociology of Culture Section Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (90 minute): 7. Contemporary Chinese Cultural Governance

Abstract

Drawing on cultural sociological perspectives, this research analyzes the narrative structures and meaning-making processes through which women’s issues are debated in China today. A closer look at discussions about public figures reveals that the topics discussed may be unrelated to the industry in which the public figure works. When discussing public figures, people don’t particularly care about the actual industry or profession of the public figure, but rather separate the public figure from their professions and focus on the public figure themselves. This research uses the case from China to illustrate why people view businesswomen through the lens of a “big heroine”. When the public discusses public figures, they are not merely talking about the objective facts of that person, but rather establishing a meaning order upon them. Therefore, cultural performance can serve as a theoretical perspective for understanding this phenomenon. This study uses professional media analysis, namely, digital professional articles by journalists, as the research data source. At the same time, I also focus on reader comments, analyzing how readers respond to viewpoints in the articles and express their own opinions. I argue that the public’s focus is not on the real actor, but rather on the projected image of the actor. For example, they do not care whether the actor’s business decisions were correct, or whether she won her legal battles as the defendant. What they care about is whether the actor plays the role of the image they envision. Through analyzing the case, I want to provide an audience centered perspective to illustrate social performances.

Author

• Yanru Yang, University at Albany, SUNY