Bloggers, Digital Sexualities and Erotic Activism in Hong Kong and Mainland China

The study uses qualitative research methods to investigate Chinese bloggers who are developing online subjectivities and erotic activism within digital networks. Most research on erotic activism has focused on Western cultures and is dominated by Western models of media studies and political thought. This study takes on a novel approach by studying bloggers discourses in relations to Chinese models of citizenship and sexual-political agency. In January 2009, it was estimated that there were more than 50 million bloggers in mainland China, yet this massive population of Internet users has not developed Western-style practices of exhibitionism/voyeurism and activism. How are Chinese bloggers using online communication to develop dynamic sexual selves within online environments? How are they using sexual representation to develop critical and agency within normative Chinese ideologies?