Lost in Translation: Sex and Sexuality in Elite Discourse and Everyday Language

Abstract

This article questions our own use of language in representing, articulating, and communicating Chinese-speaking people's experiences associated with the words `sex' and `sexuality' in the English language. We notice that whenever the elite discourse fails to fully represent the lived experiences of `the people', their own utterances will demonstrate the creative and subversive potentials of the everyday language. Our research has transformed our understanding of an ever-evolving domain we once tried to capture with the western language of sexuality, and led us to rethink our theoretical positions and methods. We finally arrive at a better understanding of the value and significance of research that engages with people's articulation of their lived experience that might contradict our original position, assumptions and arguments. We wish to caution against the unquestioned privileging of elite discourses produced and distributed from sites of power, and the risk of theoretical imperialism.

Health discourse, sexual slang and ideological contradictions among Mozambican youth: implications for method

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Eternal Mothers or Flexible Housewives? Middle-aged Chinese Married Women in Hong Kong

“…In fact, similar strategies are being adopted by Chinese women in Hong Kong. The destabilizing effect of the breakouts (Burns and Leonard 2005) and minor transgressions of middle-aged married women that are apparently invisible (Ho 2006, Miller 2005Tsang and Ho 2007) must be further explored.…”

“…Women actively sought self-fulfillment and constantly assessed their lives to create alternative meanings for themselves and to gain recognition (Ho 2007a;Tsang and Ho 2007;Wang and Ho 2007). Women set different priorities and different working definitions of their proper and most important roles at different points in their lives.…”

Min Liu’s “migration, prostitution, and human trafficking: the voice of Chinese women”

“…Scholars have developed a language of desire to look at this issue, pointing out that sexual and affective desires are the same important analytical aspects as material desires but they are often neglected [16,14,3]. A woman's sexual and affective desires are subtle yet powerful motivations for them to migrate, enter the sex business, choose their current lifestyles, engage in intimate relationships, etc.…”