Queering international development: the “pleasure principle” in the participatory video The Lucky One

Bao, Hongwei

Abstract

© 2020, © 2020 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This article focuses on the politics of representing HIV/AIDS in the 2011 documentary The Lucky One (宠儿), jointly made by Chinese filmmaker and queer activist He Xiaopei and Zhang Xi, a woman living with HIV/AIDS. The film was made using a participatory approach as Zhang took up the video camera to document her own life. By situating the film in the global development industry and focusing on the political economy of the filmmaking process, this article examines the complex power relations embedded in how people living with HIV/AIDS are represented on screen and in the context of the development industry. Informed by critical scholarship in and a queer approach to development studies, this article identifies strengths and weaknesses of the participatory approach, together with the role of media and communication technologies, in international development and health communication. This article hopes to present a nuanced understanding of empowerment and agency through studying the use of participatory videos in development projects.

Citation

Bao, H. (2020). Queering international development: the “pleasure principle” in the participatory video The Lucky One. Feminist Media Studies, 20(4), 530-547. https://doi.org/10.1080/14680777.2020.1754632

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Apr 8, 2020
• Online Publication Date: Jun 18, 2020
• Publication Date: Jun 18, 2020
• Deposit Date: Jun 10, 2020
• Publicly Available Date: Dec 19, 2021
• Journal: Feminist Media Studies
• Print ISSN: 1468-0777
• Electronic ISSN: 1471-5902
• Publisher: Routledge
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 20
• Issue: 4
• Pages: 530-547
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/14680777.2020.1754632
• Keywords: Communication; Visual Arts and Performing Arts; Gender Studies
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/4621088
• Additional Information: This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Feminist Media Studies on 18/06/2020, available online: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14680777.2020.1754632; ; Peer Review Statement: The publishing and review policy for this title is described in its Aims & Scope.; Aim & Scope: http://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?show=aimsScope&journalCode=rfms20; Published: 2020-06-18