James Cummings, "The Everyday Lives of Gay Men in Hainan: Sociality, Space and Time" (Palgrave MacMillan, 2023)
Dec 23, 2023
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Dr. James Cummings explores the everyday lives of gay men in Hainan, China, discussing topics such as self-identity, social networks, and the impact of technology. The guest highlights the importance of understanding the concept of the 'scene' and how it aids in a sense of belonging. They also delve into the methodological power of uncertainty and discuss future research on topics like aging and non-heterosexuality in China.
The podcast highlights the significance of spaces, such as gay bars and cruising areas, in shaping the identities and social networks of gay men in Hainan.
The episode emphasizes the importance of embracing uncertainty in research to gain valuable insights into the lived realities of marginalized groups, such as queer individuals.
Deep dives
The Ambiguity of Queer Spaces and Identity in Hainan
This podcast episode explores the everyday lives of gay men in Hainan, China, delving into the ambiguity and complexity of their experiences. The discussion highlights the multiple meanings and uncertainties surrounding the concept of 'the scene' in Hainan and the various ways in which gay men come into the scene. It also examines the importance of spaces, including gay bars, cruising areas, and non-queer-coded spaces, in shaping the queer identities and social networks of gay men. The podcast delves into the influence of geo-located dating and hookup apps, like Blued, which disrupt the assumption of heterosexual spaces and allow gay men to connect and navigate the queer landscape in Hainan. Additionally, the episode addresses the expectations and social pressures around heterosexual marriage and reproduction, which often shape the future plans and self-identity of gay men in Hainan. Through the lens of uncertainty and ambiguity, this podcast sheds light on the nuanced experiences and challenges faced by gay men in Hainan.
Methodological and Conceptual Significance of Uncertainty
The podcast episode emphasizes the methodological and conceptual significance of embracing uncertainty in research. It argues that studying and understanding uncertainty in everyday life experiences of marginalized groups, such as queer individuals, can provide valuable insights into their lived realities. By staying open to ambiguity and complexity, researchers can shed light on how people navigate and live with uncertainty, challenging mainstream assumptions and broadening our understanding of human experiences. The discussion encourages scholars to approach research with humility and an appreciation for the complexities and uncertainties inherent in social phenomena.
Exploring Queer Intimacy Through Smartphone Technologies in the UK
The podcast briefly mentions another book titled 'Digital Intimacies: Queer Men and Smartphone Technologies' co-authored by James Cummings, Jamie Hakim, and Ingrid Young. This forthcoming book examines the experiences of queer men in the UK in terms of intimacy within the realm of smartphone technologies. It explores how these digital platforms shape and facilitate different forms of intimate connections and relationships among queer individuals. 'Digital Intimacies' aims to provide insights into how technology impacts the lived experiences of queer people in the realm of intimacy, offering a fresh perspective on contemporary queer relationships.
Future Research on Aging and Care for LGBTQ+ Individuals in China
The podcast episode mentions James Cummings' future research project, which focuses on aging and care among LGBTQ+ individuals in China. This project aims to explore alternative narratives of aging outside of heterosexuality and interrogate the ways queer individuals envision their lives beyond the societal expectation of heterosexual marriage and reproduction. The research aims to shed light on the experiences, challenges, and possibilities of queer aging and care provision in China, particularly considering the different socioeconomic factors that influence these dynamics. The project seeks to broaden our understanding of how LGBTQ+ individuals navigate their later years in a society that often prioritizes heterosexual norms and expectations.
The Everyday Lives of Gay Men in Hainan: Sociality, Space and Time (Palgrave Macmillan, 2022) by Dr. James Cummings explores the everyday lives of gay men in Hainan, an island province of the People’s Republic of China. Taking an ethnographic and phenomenological approach, it asks how these men construct and experience ways of ‘sexual being’ – as gay, homosexual, tongzhi and/or in the scene – and what these mean for the ways of living they see as possible within a socio-cultural, political and material context characterised by pervasive heteronormativity. It explores what it means for gay men in Hainan to ‘come into the scene’, how internet and mobile technologies figure in their everyday processes of sexual categorisation and how these men negotiate orientations and disorientations towards the future in relation to dominant heterosexual life scripts of marriage and reproduction.
This book offers vital insights into the production and restriction of non-heterosexual lives in diverse settings, while addressing universal questions of how certain ways of living are enabled and curtailed in living together with others through powerful conditions of uncertainty and precarity.
This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose forthcoming book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars.
