Junru Zhou

Dr. McWhorter
WGSS 200, Spring 2019
March 18, 2019

Elevator Speech Outline #2

Topic:
● ( Last time: drag performance and Beijing Opera )
● I realized that I do not want to investigate "drag performance." Instead, I am more
interested in Judith Butler's analysis of drag performance and how it exemplifies that
gender is a posteriori and performative.
● My research topic is about Judith Butler's theories in Gender Trouble and Beijing Opera.

Research Background:
● ( It is the same as last time. )

Abstract:
● According to Judith Butler and her book Gender Trouble, gender is socially/culturally
constructed and is performative. Butler's thesis indicates a possibility of gender
transformation which could be attained by changing the way individuals behave. One
representative but frequently neglected example of such transformation is Beijing Opera,
a traditional Chinese art form which the majority of performers are male and the majority
of female roles are played by men. For my research project, I will use Judith Butler's
theories in her book Gender Trouble to analyze Beijing Opera and to answer the
following three questions:
○ Is it the male artist's own choice to play female characters in Beijing Opera
industry?
○ How do the male Beijing Opera artists learn to perform in a so-called feminine
way?
○ Finally and most importantly, during the process of learning, are there any
changes in the male artist's understanding of his gender identity? Are there any
changes regarding their sexual orientation and the way of which they perform
their gender in daily life?

Research Methods:
1. Analyze Gender Trouble by myself.
2. Research on other feminists' and scholars' analysis of Judith Butler
 a. Understanding Judith Butler by Anita Brandy - understanding Judith Butler as not
only a theory, but also a summary of modern-day social and cultural practices and
context.
3. Use the famous Chinese movie Farewell My Concubine, in which the protagonist, a male
Beijing Opera artist, struggles through similar gender problems when performing female
characters, as a case study to help me analyze Butler's theories.
4. Go over the autobiographies and biographies of some celebrated Beijing Opera
performers, such as Mei Lanfang, Shang Xiaoyun, and Cheng Yanqiu. Investigate how
they performed their genders in daily life in order to analyze male Beijing Opera artists'
understandings of their genders.
5. Interview some current male Beijing Opera performers.
6. Research on primary and secondary sources regarding this topic in both English and
Chinese.

Research Significance:
● ( It is the same as last time. )