W10 Rewrite Proposal

[Last modified: December, 6 2024 04:43 PM]

Research Proposal: The Role of Language Cosplay in Gender Performance and Subcultural Community Building Among Young Chinese Females

This research explores how young Chinese females, primarily from middle-class backgrounds, use the internet and social media to engage in language cosplay within the otaku subculture. Language cosplay involves participants adopting the speech and mannerisms of fictional characters, and engaging in role-playing through text-based communication. The study aims to understand how these online spaces enable young women to perform gender, build intimate, quasi-homosexual relationships, and form communities outside of patriarchal constraints.

Language cosplay is primarily an anonymous activity in which participants role-play as characters (e.g., one person acting as Harry Potter while another plays Severus Snape) and interact through written dialogue. These interactions can lead to close, sometimes intimate, relationships based on shared identities and experiences. In particular, these virtual spaces allow young women to explore gender and sexuality in ways that might not be possible in offline spaces constrained by societal norms.

Although same-sex marriage is not legally recognized in China, private same-sex relationships are not criminalized. This provides young women with a unique space to explore their sexuality and intimate relationships without the fear of legal repercussions. I believe that protecting the anonymity of these young participants allows them to safely explore their sexual orientation during their formative years, which is both a reasonable and ethical approach to fostering self-exploration and expression.

The research will employ qualitative methods, including online ethnography and semi-structured interviews, to observe interactions within relevant forums and chat groups. Interviews will provide deeper insight into participants’ motivations and the role of language cosplay in their emotional and social lives. Given the potentially vulnerable status of many participants, ethical considerations are central to this study. Special attention will be paid to informed consent, data protection, and participant privacy.

This study aims to contribute to the understanding of gender performance in digital spaces, offering insights from a cyberfeminist perspective. By focusing on a marginalized group within the Chinese context, it will highlight the potential for digital communities to offer empowerment and foster intimate, supportive relationships, free from traditional gender roles. Ultimately, the research will show how technology facilitates new forms of gender expression and social connection for young women.

W9 Ethics guidance

[Last modified: November, 29 2024 03:42 PM]

Ethics Guidance for Anthropology Student Research

For 4.Collection and use of data by HIV specialist midwives

 

A) Regulatory and Ethical Approvals

  1. Obtain NHS approval to legitimize the inclusion of medical data in the study, given the hospital setting. Refer to the specific guidance for medical anthropology students provided on Moodle.
  2. Secure ethical approval from the UCL Humanities, Arts, and Sciences Research Ethics Committee (REC), because the project could be considered as medium ethical risks. These risks are due to the study’s focus on the data from a vulnerable group (HIV-positive women with their children) and sensitive topics such as physical and mental health.

B) Privacy and Data Protection

  1. Adhere to UK GDPR standards to safeguard participant privacy, including minimizing the collection of private data and informing participants of their rights to control how their personal data is handled.
  2. Anonymize and de-identify data to prevent identification and reduce risks of stigmatization.
  3. Store and process data securely using encrypted systems, such as UCL-approved platforms like OneDrive, and restrict data access to authorized individuals only.
  4. Review existing consent agreements to confirm participants approved the secondary use of their data. If unclear, ensure that the secondary use aligns with ethical guidelines.
  5. Be careful when using pre-collected data to maintain compliance with ethical standards.

 

C) Managing Power Dynamics and Professional Relationships

  1. Address power imbalances by clearly communicating the voluntary nature of participation to participants.
  2. Reassure participants that refusal to participate will not affect their professional relationship with the researcher.
  3. Obtain written informed consent, detailing the project’s purpose, scope, and potential implications.
  4. Consider involving an independent mediator or third party to manage sensitive data collection and protect participant confidentiality.

 

D) Addressing Ethical Risks and Avoiding Harm

  1. Ensure the use of pre-collected data adheres to informed consent principles for secondary research.
  2. Anonymise sensitive topics, such as mental health experiences and so on, to protect participants’ identities and minimize harm to the vulnerable group that provides original data.

 

E) Addressing Potential Bias

  1. Reflect on potential biases resulting from the researcher’s familiarity with the environment. It is supposed to keep a reflexive diary to document and mitigate positionality-related biases.

 

F) Community Benefit

  1. Highlight how the project can enhance data collection and management practices for HIV-related issues.
  2. Emphasize the project’s potential to strengthen professional networks within the community, fostering long-term collaboration and support.

W8 Reflection on Forum Theatre and Multimodal Anthropology

[Last modified: November, 22 2024 08:48 PM]

Unfortunately, due to feeling unwell as I am on my period, I was unable to actively participate in the Forum Theatre session in this class but was present as a “passive spectator.” Despite this, I found the performances of my classmates both engaging and thought-provoking. The most memorable scene involved two classmates portraying a conflict, which was repeated to allow for interventions from others. As the performance unfolded, the audience was encouraged to critically engage and suggest possible resolutions. This interaction demonstrated the power of Forum Theatre as an ethnographic tool—one that can transform spectators into active participants, or “spect-actors.”

Forum Theatre, as part of the Theatre of the Oppressed method, allows the audience to intervene in a performance, offer alternative solutions to the social issues depicted, and even take on roles themselves. In this way, it enables participants to understand and engage with complex social dynamics in ways that traditional ethnographic methods may not. The act of interrupting the performance and proposing solutions provides a unique space to explore more-than-textual ways of doing anthropology—beyond merely observing or recording. The process highlights the performative and collaborative nature of multimodal methods in anthropology, which are far more inventive and interactive than the passive, descriptive methods often used in traditional research.

On the other hand, performance, in this context, allows us to go beyond representing reality; it becomes a space for reimagining and reshaping it. By engaging with the performance, we explore social roles, power structures, and identity relations through action, language, and behavior. For example, during the Forum Theatre, we were able to witness how different actors—whether on stage or in the audience—interacted with the underlying power dynamics in the conflict. This kind of engagement challenges anthropological perspectives by allowing for the fluidity of social realities to be played out, questioned, and reconstructed in real-time.

What’s more, the collaborative characteristic of Forum Theatre enables researchers to involve communities in a more participatory and empowering process. Rather than standing apart, anthropologists can co-create knowledge by engaging participants in performance-based methods that reflect their lived experiences. Observing and analyzing the interactions during these performances provides rich qualitative data on social dynamics, cultural norms, and power relations within a community.

All in all, my experience as a spectator reinforced the idea that performance can offer anthropologists unique insights into social practices, enabling both researchers and communities to challenge oppressive norms and generate new ways of understanding and acting upon the world.

W7 BODY

[Last modified: November, 15 2024 06:55 PM]

In preparing to enter the classroom, I begin with a familiar ritual: cleaning my ears and putting on my hearing aids. This process, in my private space, feels like a moment of transformation, as if I am about to “become a cyborg again.” My hearing aids are both an essential part of me and a constant reminder of the technological integration into my body. They enable me to interact fully with the world but never quite feel like a natural extension of myself. I cannot live without these “technological organs,” yet I feel uneasy about their presence, which is both comforting and uncomfortable. They require electricity to function and sit in my ears like foreign objects, feeling like “stones” lodged in my ear canals even as they sharpen my auditory perception. This tension reflects the concept of an “ambivalent cyborg identity”—a fusion of the human and the technological that is both enabling and alienating.
After eight years of using hearing aids, I have become a hybrid of my biological self and the technological device, yet I struggle to accept this additional “organ.” Wearing hearing aids grants me a greater sense of safety, allowing me to communicate more confidently, but they also contribute to a complex bodily self-consciousness, or what I might term a “cyborg inferiority.” They sometimes emit harsh feedback sounds when in proximity to clothing or other objects, a reminder that this technology is imperfect and, in its noisy reminders, forces me into a hyper-awareness of my difference from my classmates.
In the classroom, I attempt to perform “normalcy” by acting as though my hearing ability is identical to that of my peers. I find myself distracted, trying to mask the presence of my hearing aids, and this interferes with my focus on the lesson. I also experience an underlying anxiety about potential malfunctions—such as the battery running out mid-class—which could expose me. If this happens, I must go through a routine of replacing the battery, involving precise movements that I attempt to disguise, pretending to adjust my hair or touch my ear naturally. This bodily awareness and constant anticipation of needing to “pass” as non-technologically aided makes my movements guarded, almost unnatural.
Moreover, I feel heightened discomfort in noisy classroom environments, such as discussions or seminars, where background noise interferes with my hearing aids’ capacity. These moments amplify the feeling of disconnection; a “sound world” flows around me, but I am only partially in sync with it. Consequently, I often avoid eye contact or try to blend into the background, wary of being addressed directly. This experience, grounded in both my embodied reality and my awareness of social expectations, illustrates how technology reshapes not only my sensory experience but also my social identity and sense of agency.

W5 Reflecting on the political dimensions

[Last modified: November, 1 2024 04:29 PM]

Reflecting on the political dimensions of my pilot research project, it is evident that the study inherently includes political positions, orientations, and assumptions. The exploration of language cosplay within the context of virtual social anthropology, youth subcultures, and cyberfeminism is not neutral; it engages with the politics of gender, identity, and power dynamics within digital spaces. My project assumes that the cyber subcultures can be a space of resistance against traditional gender norms and a space for the formation of alternative identities, which is a political stance in itself.
My own positionality as a Chinese, working-class individual with a lesbian identity and a decade-long involvement in language roleplay significantly interacts with these political dimensions. My insider status provides a unique perspective but also poses challenges in maintaining objectivity. It should be noted that my personal experiences and biases may influence the research design and interpretation of findings, potentially skewing the representation of the subculture’s political nuances.
The potential political implications of my research findings are manifold. They could contribute to a broader understanding of how young Chinese females navigate and challenge patriarchal structures through subcultural practices. This insight could inspire more young women to embrace their cyborg identities and engage in cyberfeminist activism. In contrast, the findings might also highlight the complexities and potential inequalities within these subcultures, such as the exclusion of male players and the creation of a female utopia that could inadvertently perpetuate new forms of gender-based hierarchies.
To account for these political elements, my methods must be adapted to ensure a balanced and ethical approach. This includes expanding the participant pool to represent a wider range of experiences and backgrounds within the subculture.
Additionally, employing a reflexive methodology will allow me to critically examine my own biases and how they might shape the research process and outcomes. By incorporating diverse perspectives and maintaining a critical awareness of my positionality, I aim to conduct a study that is not only politically informed but also sensitive to the complexities of the subculture it seeks to understand.

W4 Field notes

[Last modified: October, 25 2024 08:35 PM]

 

I reached the Russel Square and found a small park near the Bedford bus stop. It‘s an open space with a limited natural environment. The weather is not so cold or hot, making it suitable to hang out. The sky is grey but no rain. The maple trees are slowly shedding their yellow leaves. Heavy fallen leaves are on the green grass and the way. Pigeons wonder or fly in the park. Interestingly, a pigeon with a mottled coat comes to a brown hair woman’s feet to try to get some food. Unfortunately, she ends up with nothing from her and keeps standing there dully.

Here is the story I want to tell. The most impressive scene of my observation is a young woman with blonde hair who doesn’t tether her medium-sized dog with a deep brown coat and the dog is so happy running in the park that it rushes into the overground spring, pretending to “eat” the water column!  At least four people are smiling at this funny scene. A European man with a light colour trench coat stands there and watches it, while a young Asian female is taking photos with her smartphone. A middle-aged woman with a casual outfit sitting on the park bench and I are staring at them. The owner seems to be a little bit embarrassed but still shouts the dog’s name with smile. The dog is too immersed in the playful world to follow its owner’s instructions. After nearly 3 minutes it goes away and follows the pace of the owner, who is going in front of it and never turn back. The relationships between humans the pets are very interesting. People seem to be more friendly when there is a dog as the medium.

 

My notes are very useful for me to call back the details of the scenes. However, if I want to observe the scenes with a full mind, it is not so convenient for me to keep typing on my phone at the same time. Also, I am too shy to talk with a stranger so there is a lack of language communication. Compared to an iPad, a phone is not so easy to draw a picture as a part of notes. It makes me reflect on the choice of devices in fieldwork.

W3 Things I may change about to account for my positionality

[Last modified: October, 18 2024 07:47 PM]

Things I may change about to account for my positionality
I come from China, and I am from the working class. My participants are nearly all young Chinese females from similar class. Also, I am lesbian, and many of my participants may be lesbian, too. We may all be from a subculture background, such as AGC, Chinese online literature, or a popular game such as King‘s Glory fandom. 
I am also one of the sophisticated members of this sub-cultural circle of language roleplay. I have stayed in this sub-cultural circle for nearly ten years and have my own experience, opinions and, to some degree, biases. Also, I have personal preferences in particular zones like Chinese traditional culture (original and fandom), contemporary literature original and fandom, game fandom, and Western fantasy original and fandom (like Harry Potter fandom) . So, the first range of my participants may be all from these little circles and sub-branches of language roleplay. 
First, I think I should expand my range of participants to include people who are used to the Korean Kpop fandom language roleplay, Otome game language roleplay, and a famous classic branch of this subculture called “blc”, which means acting like gay online and start intimate relationships with each other (in this sense you can act as your original character, you can design him as suitable or left, how old he is, what occupation he has, and tell his own life story, however, players in this branch are younger than other branches, this is one of the points that what I want to study, many junior high school and high school students are its members), or you can choose a fandom way like act as famous virtual roles in boy love creation (mainly online novels, animations).
Second, I should clarify what kinds of joy language roleplay could offer different players. Someone may enjoy the process of literature creation. At the same time, others may enjoy the feelings of socializing immersed (or want to find a girlfriend in this subcultural circle!), want to escape reality and even see this hobby as a psychological dependence, or just play for fun.
Third, while most of the female players are inclined to have a female utopia in this circle (so do I), I must consider some male players and consider whether the domination of female players and their exclusion of male players can cause inequality.

W2 Ethnographic ‘vignette’ based on my online observation exercise

[Last modified: October, 11 2024 06:29 PM]

Ethnographic ‘vignette’ based on my online observation exercise

In my online field on an APP called Celebrity Friend Circle, various functions are based on language cosplay activity. First, the primary function is similar to regular social media, which allows players to add friends and join groups or start temporary conversations without becoming contacts. Second, there are friend circles like WeChat and Twitter to keep up with friends’ updates (different friends of different characters that you cosplay) and interact with them by giving virtual gifts or just making comments. More importantly, different zones set for different circles need particular relevant roles to participate in. For example, you must act as one of the game characters like Zhao Yun in the King’s Glory game zone; otherwise, you would be banned or punished. There are nearly 500 zones in the app, and more and more new zones will be set up by the fans and lovers as there are more literary works, anime and manga, film-television programs, new games and so on.

Each zone has four primary sections, “Explore for pushing popular posts”,” Home Page for serious theatrical writing posts that need to act like the characters”, “Free Discussion that does not need to act like the characters”, and “Find New Friends Wall”. Sometimes, there will be one or more new temporary sections for activities according to the festivals and the administration’s organization. All activities require theatrical writing posts which means you need to create a piece of literature like the characters, and participants usually get virtual rewards like Circle currency or gifts. Players can click the “like“ and send gifts to others or their posts.

It cannot be ignored that this app has virtual Circle currency but also has real value that you need to buy at 1(yuan):10 (Circle currency) rate in this app. They could be used to purchase virtual marriage rings, pay a divorce fee, or buy virtual decorations for avatars or colourful text effects. Also, in other transaction platforms like Xianyu, some players sell their private Circle currency at a more reasonable rate like 1:19 (be careful with the potential cheating!). So language cosplay activity could create real economic value: sell the Circle currency, accept someone’s commission to play the fantastical role that being loved, or just keep writing serious theatrical writing posts and join some groups organized by other rich players to gain Circle currency as rewards for your creation and good performance that Interpreting the character very well.

Week 1 Research Proposal

[Last modified: October, 5 2024 10:19 PM]

Research proposal

My research question is how young Chinese females from diverse backgrounds use the Internet and social media to participate in “imaginary interactions” and establish quasi-homosexual relationships within the subculture.

Language cosplay is a category of role-playing games with verbalized words, and a branch of cosplay subculture in the otaku culture. Most players are girls under 20. Using language to perform roles in an anonymous virtual space according to specific rules, players rely on the art of language to construct a new self-image, eliminating gender-related constraints.

By shunning male players, they attempt to create an exclusive female subculture. Nevertheless, unlike the homosexual group, male roles are not rejected: several of these female users opt to behave as male characters in the virtual realm and create (virtual) intimate relationships with one another. From a cyberfeminist perspective, I contend that these lack recognition of female heterotopia. The inherent gender-related demands driving female users’ behaviour ought to be addressed. I seek to apply a combination of Goffman’s Mimesis theory, Butler’s gender performance and Cyberfeminism to examine facets of their behaviours and experiences.

I tend to conduct semi-structured interviews with users on their language cosplay experiences, and incorporate participant observation.

During the data analysis step, I will use Voyant text mining to highlight the keywords they are concerned about and facilitate deeper exploration. I am inclined to delve into how these female players perceive their gender identity and intimate relationships. ① Otaku Culture is one of the most famous Japanese pop cultures worldwide and includes manga, anime, video games, girl idols and so on. And Otaku are the people who are obsessed with some pop cultures such as manga and anime. ② The evidence comes from internal questionnaires from Celebrity Friend Circle, which is a specialised language cosplay application.

I’m also curious about the impact and significance of this encounter on their personal growth. The language of subcultural female groups’ cosplay activities signifies the awakening and expression of personal convictions in certain young Chinese females. To demolish a patriarchal society, they create an online ideal emotional society free of gender power dynamics—a female heterotopia. This analysis, I anticipate, will provide a brand-new perspective on cyberfeminism and a theoretical foundation for inspiring more young women to embrace their cyborg identities through subcultural practices.

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