Date of Award
8-13-2025
Thesis Type
PhD
Document Type
Thesis
Divisions
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
Department
Department of Chinese Studies
Institution
Universiti Malaya
Abstract
The study of Malaysian Chinese lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) themes is characterized by its obscured presence in the historical and traditional context of Malaysian Chinese society. It involves not only sensitive topics of identity politics and social ethics but also the exploration of LGBT themes, which is continually deconstructed or constructed amid the generational shifts between new and old ideologies. Malaysian Chinese LGBT writing is not only marked by its obscurity and its political and ethical dimensions but also encompasses intergenerational, diverse, and modern aspects, adding layers of complexity to its exploration amid historical transitions. Although it occupies a marginal position in Malaysian Chinese literature,
selected contemporary Malaysian Chinese LGBT fiction is a significant component of Malaysian Chinese LGBT writing, revealing its value within the historical continuum of Malaysian Chinese fiction. Selected contemporary Malaysian Chinese LGBT fiction is closely linked to Malaysian Chinese history, culture, politics, and society, particularly concentrating on the study of LGBT identity. Research on LGBT identity is foundational to the study of Malaysian Chinese LGBT fiction, serving as a multi-faceted convergence point in this field. In this thesis, the exploration is made into
four dimensions of selected contemporary Malaysian Chinese LGBT fiction: national and family identity, social identity, gender/sexuality identity, and writing strategies. Specifically, the following aspects are examined：the presentation of national and family identity in Malaysian Chinese LGBT fiction, the multiple dilemmas of social identity, the specific interpretations of gender/sexuality identity, and the writing strategies concerning LGBT identity in these fictions. In this thesis, literature research, close textual analysis, inductive analysis, and comparative research methods are employed. The conceptual framework involves Stuart Hall's Identity and Difference Theory, Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick and Judith Butler's Queer Theory, Michel Foucault's theories of Discipline and Biopolitics. Initially, in the thesis the discussion is made about the presentation of national and family identity within Malaysian Chinese LGBT fiction from the perspective of a pluralistic historical view. Then, the exploration is made into the multiple dilemmas of social identity in the context of LGBT modernity. Next, in the thesis specific interpretations of gender/sexuality identity are examined from the lens of Queer possibilities. Finally, the investigation is made into the writing strategies related to LGBT identity in these fictions from the perspective of narrative experience and reference. From the study of identity in Malaysian Chinese LGBT fiction, it is observed that these fictions represent a critical dimension in the history of Malaysian Chinese literature, which can be researched as a literary phenomenon and as a narrative practice reflecting Malaysian Chinese society, history, and culture. The conclusion drawn from this research indicates that in terms of national and family identity, Malaysian Chinese LGBT fiction exhibits a state of contradiction and diaspora; in social identity, it reveals the modern contradictions of social identity; in gender/sexuality identity, it presents the possibilities of diverse gender/sexuality identity; and in LGBT identity and writing strategies, it demonstrates the potential for summarizing experiences and using them as references.
Additional Information
Thesis (PhD) – Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Universiti Malaya, 2025.
Recommended Citation
Huiying, Yang, "Identity in selected contemporary Malaysian Chinese Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender fiction" (2025). Student Works (2020-2029). 1921.
https://knova.um.edu.my/student_works_2020s/1921
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
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