Gender andTourism: Cultural Imagination and Body Performance of Taiwanese Gay Touristic Experiences in Europe

• Main Authors: Yo-hsin Yang, 楊又欣
• Other Authors: Hsiu-yen Yeh
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2013
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/44013996705027649696

碩士 === 國立臺灣師範大學 === 歐洲文化與觀光研究所 === 101 === Tourism, cultural imagination and the body areclosely connected. To discuss their cultural imagination of Europe and strategies in body and gender performance, this thesis interview 12 Taiwanese gays and analyze their travel experiences in Europe. First, the thesis finds out that the interviewees have variousdegrees of positive imaginations toward the life style, societyand even the Caucasian in Europe. Combining these imaginations and the comparisonwithTaiwanese culture, the interviewees tend to construct an Orientalism perspective to belittle the self (Taiwan) andpraise the Other (Europe).This emotional complex is associated with a desire to emulate or even “become” European. Consequently, it is a process of dual-othering.Second, the thesis also discusses thedynamicsbetween body performance and the imagination of place/space in the context of Taiwanesehomosexualtravel experience in Europe. From this, the thesis points outthatthe trips to Europe can be seen as an “accumulation of capital” for Taiwanese homosexual men to come out of the closet as they are endowed with more confidence and freedom to exhibit their sexuality. Behind the aforementioned tourism phenomena, the thesis also observes three dimensions of class differentiations in gender, place andthebody. First, in order to avoid the potential homophobia, gays have to hide theirsexual orientation when they travel abroad.This highlights the reality that homosexual community is assigned an inferior social status in the heterosexual world. Second, within the homosexual community, travel in Europe also indicates the possession ofeconomic capital and superior position. In addition, as a tourist destination, Europe represents exquisite culture, life style and aesthetics which symbolize a superior status in contrast to other places, including Taiwan. Third, in the discourse of the interviewees, the body image of homosexual men can be classified into two classes; while young, masculine and Caucasian stand for the higher level, old, feminine and non-white is associated with the lower.