A Smile on the Surface: The Politics of Public Correctness
A Smile on the Surface: The Politics of Public Correctness
Chapter five examines the dominant tongzhi politics in China. The formation of tongzhi communities and the increasing public awareness of homosexuality highlight the denial and silence individual tongzhis experience in their families. This existential rupture caused by the public/ private divide has given rise to a culturally specific tongzhi politics in China, which the author terms as the politics of public correctness. It refers to a logic of normalization that seeks to promote a “healthy” and “proper” image of tongzhi in order to acquire social and familial recognitions. The most articulated expression of this politics is the practice of “cooperative marriage”. This chapter looks into the social and political context within which the politics of public correctness has developed, and its impact on individual lives and the tongzhi communities in China.
Keywords: Politics of Public Correctness, Cooperative Marriage, Tongzhi Politics, Tongzhi communities, Homosexuality
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