10.05.2023

Guest Lecture: LGBTQI Issues in Taiwan

Dr. Jens Damm from the Institute of Sinology at Albrecht-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg will give a public lecture in the Taiwan Colloquium on Thursday, 11 May 2023, at 6.15 p.m., on LGBTQI Issues in Taiwan

Dr. Jens Damm from the Institute of Sinology at Albrecht-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg will give a public lecture in the Taiwan Colloquium on Thursday, 11 May 2023, at 6.15 p.m..

The topic of his talk is Contested and Negotiated Discourses: LGBTQI Issues in Taiwan's Media

This lecture shows - by employing a Critical Discourse Analysis based on written texts and the involved persons (journalists, activists, writers, lobbyists, politicians) - the almost revolutionary changes within Taiwanese politics and society regarding LGBTQI issues by contrasting two contested and negotiated media discourses: 1) the “AIDSphobia” narrative found in Taiwan’s mass media in the late 1980s. 2) The more recent narrative on marriage equality.During the 1980s, public discussions on topics concerning same-sex desire and non-mainstream gender started in the popular media, in literature and in a variety of academic journals. Most of these media reports were written by so-called experts, psychologists, medical doctors. With the AIDS crisis this narrative was challenged by the activist Chi Chia-wei, and during the accelerating democratisation of Taiwan, LGBTQI issues became widely discussed in feminist magazines (Awakening) and glossy magazines (G&L).
In contrast, more recent discussions in the main-stream and in the LGBTQI-media focused on how same-sex marriage could be introduced. The LGBTQI advocates and their allies, but also the opponents (supported by various Christian lobbyist groups) used the media to bring forward arguments in favour of or against same-sex marriage. While the opponents scored a victory in the 2018 referendum, the media representation shifted after same-sex marriage was introduced. Taiwanese media then were eager to promote Taiwan as the most open and liberal Asian society.
Thus, this talk, will also shed light on the question which standards mass media needs to meet in order to provide a general forum for democratic contestation and democratic legitimacy.
 

Venue is Wilhelmstraße 19, Seminar room 001.