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A Narrow Space for Rebellion: The Cultural T-shirt in China's 1990s
[journal article]
Abstract Following the crackdown on the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989, the beginning of the 1990s witnessed one of the few instances in modern Chinese history of the silenced making their voices heard - through printed messages on T-shirts. Phrases and sentences in large Chinese characters were printed o... view more
Following the crackdown on the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989, the beginning of the 1990s witnessed one of the few instances in modern Chinese history of the silenced making their voices heard - through printed messages on T-shirts. Phrases and sentences in large Chinese characters were printed on the front or back of plain white short-sleeve T-shirts with statements originating from a variety of sources, including literature, rock music, pop songs, movies, cartoons, old sayingsand political slogans - or sometimes only an apparently meaningless assemblage of words. These phrases distanced the wearers from the earnest attitude that was promoted by the state, affording the wearer a sense of individual empowerment. This paper focuses on this cultural T-shirt fad of the 1990s in China and traces its rebellious origins, along with the multiple interpretations of its significance. This hermeneutic phenomenological inquiry relies on Chinese newspapers publishedat the time, as well as the researcher's own observations as a participant of this shared cultural experience. As a unisex sartorial symbol, the "cultural T-shirt" presented an open arena for both males and females, as well as a battleground over "spiritual pollution".... view less
Classification
Political Process, Elections, Political Sociology, Political Culture
Free Keywords
China; fashion; clothing culture; cultural T-shirt; youth; non-verbal communication
Document language
English
Publication Year
2022
Page/Pages
p. 77-96
Journal
International Quarterly for Asian Studies (IQAS), 53 (2022) 1
Issue topic
Dress as Symbolic Resistance in Asia
ISSN
2566-6878
Status
Published Version; peer reviewed
Licence
Creative Commons - Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0