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When Nationalism Meets Hip-Hop: Aestheticized Politics of Ideotainment in China

Sat, May 26, 17:00 to 18:15, Hilton Prague, Floor: LL, Congress Hall II - Exhibit Hall/Posters

Abstract

To unravel the dynamics of ideotainment in China, this paper examines the patriotic hip-hop songs from a Chinese youth band that attracted global attention. To put this case in perspective, this paper draws on Althusser’s theory of Ideological State Apparatus to analyze how popular nationalism coalesces with state-led hegemony. Supported by textual and semiotic analyses, it reveals that the state-centric ideology is realized through the interpellation of spontaneous popular expressions and the recourse to local and traditional cultural symbols; and that political power is thereby extended into the private and aesthetic realms. It shows how a global music genre and youth subcultural resources could be co-opted locally to strengthen the state’s ideological control. In the end, this paper critically assesses the limitation of this ideotainment project through the lens of Benjamin’s notions of "aura" and "allegory", pointing to the risk of hollowing out local cultural symbols for politically didactic ends.

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