The Making of a Revolutionary Stage: Chinese Model Theatre and Its Western Influences

Chen, Xiaomei

doi:10.1007/978-1-349-62624-3_8

Cited by 1 publication

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“…The pursuit of perfection takes place by means of learning from exemplary models, believed to have the power to mobilize self-improvement within communities and individuals. Exemplarity can only be used to enhance social order when it is performed and imitated in various ways; therefore, theatrical performances have long been utilized to these ends throughout Chinese history, especially since the founding of the Chinese Communist Party (Chen, 2000; Mei, 2018). However, this ‘role playing’ of ‘perfect behaviour’ will inevitably create a gap between the outward and the underlying behaviour/attitudes, and consequently create potential problems for the ideal goal of exemplary order.…”

Section: Performance Making and Social Control In Prisonsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Producing exemplarity: Performance making in a Chinese prison

Zhang

2022

Punishment & Society

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Penal order is closely linked to the broader social order in China and the disciplinary side of its maintenance. This article seeks to demonstrate, through the case of performance making, what order means to the Chinese prison authority, and how prisoners comply with and sometimes defy the system based upon various motivations. Using data from an ethnographic study on performance making in a men's prison during 2015–2018, this study aims to understand how an 'exemplary order' is maintained, and what kinds of compliance and resistance can be found. The findings suggest that “theatre in prisons” is not a Western invention to be borrowed, but a long-established institutional mechanism of order mainetence in China, as participation in prison's activities represents compliance with the regime order. However, compliance is also utilized by the prisoners not only for hedonistic gains but also for gaining social capital, which can have a strong positive influence on their quality of life inside and earlier release. This study will also demonstrate how the Chinese penal order maintenance shares similirities with modes of soft power found in British prisons, as well prisoner-officer collaboration found in other Global South countries, with a twist

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Section: Performance Making and Social Control In Prisonsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Producing exemplarity: Performance making in a Chinese prison

Zhang

2022

Punishment & Society

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

The Making of a Revolutionary Stage: Chinese Model Theatre and Its Western Influences

Cited by 1 publication

References 3 publications

Producing exemplarity: Performance making in a Chinese prison

Producing exemplarity: Performance making in a Chinese prison

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