Perspectives on "race" and identities in contemporary Hong Kong : a triangulated approach

Abstract

This thesis investigates the possible meanings and significance of ‘race’ in the socio-cultural and political context of contemporary Hong Kong by way of analyzing television advertisements shown on Hong Kong terrestrial television. Through examining both the levels of the advertisements’ texts and the audiences’ interpretations of them, this thesis presents the notions of ‘race’ and ‘racial identity’ as dynamic and fluid constructs that signify multiple meanings and perform multiple social functions on one hand, but at the same time shows how they are shaped and formed by various socio-political discourses on the other. ‘Racial’ identities reflect not only the influence of dominant ideologies, but are also wrought by the immediate contexts of communications, where the duality of ‘self’ and ‘other’ is constantly in the process of negotiations and re-invention. This thesis seeks to pursue the following three objectives: 1. to present a more dynamic picture of the discursive formation of the ‘racial’ identity of Hong Kong based on class, gender and a multiplicity of ‘racial others’; 2. to explore the possible implications of ‘racial’ discourses and practices in Chinese culture and in Hong Kong society, and their possible relationships with the formation and maintenance of the Hong Kong identity, alongside changing socio-cultural, economic and political landscapes; and 3. to problematize the notion of active audience along the lines of contextualization through identifying factors that potentially limit the polysemy of social and mediated texts. This thesis is divided into the following four major parts: Part 1. Introduction. This includes the objectives of the thesis, an introduction to the socio-historical background to the current ‘racial’ situation in Hong Kong, and consideration of the definitions of ‘race’, racism and racialization for this thesis. Part 2. Methodology. This part contains the methodology and research procedures for this research, and an overview of audience research. Part 3. Triangulated analyses. This part includes the triangulated analyses for each of six case advertisements. Part 4. Final analysis. This part contains the final analysis and conclusion of this thesis, drawing on the findings and analyses of the six case analyses in Part 3.