Diana Khor | Hosei University (original) (raw)

Papers by Diana Khor

This research note reports the first analysis of how same-sex marriage is framed by stakeholders ... more This research note reports the first analysis of how same-sex marriage is framed by stakeholders in Japan, in a larger Japan-Hong Kong comparative project examining how same-sex partnership is advocated or resisted, what the implications are for the heteronormative institution of the marriage and the family, and how same-sex couples negotiate marriage and family norms in their everyday life. The analysis shows that whether arguing for or against same-sex marriage, the state as well as civil society reinforce homonationalistic discourses, albeit in a slightly different manner than observed in the West. Further, there is a tendency for advocates of same-sex marriage to construct marriage as the essence of human existence, leaving little room for a critical examination of a gendered and unequal institution, at least as it is practiced in today's Japan. All this provides some preliminary support for the claim that the legalization of same-sex marriage might indeed reinforce rather than undermine heteronormativity.

* Introduction (Diana Khor and Saori Kamano) * The Research Pendulum: Multiple Roles and Responsi... more * Introduction (Diana Khor and Saori Kamano) * The Research Pendulum: Multiple Roles and Responsibilities as a Researcher (Denise Tse Shang Tang) * Beyond Identity Politics: The Making of an Oral History of Hong Kong Women Who Love Women (Day Wong) * Beyond Pain and Protection: Politics of Identity and Iban Girls in Korea (Ji-eun Lee) * The Politics of "Disregarding": Addressing Zainichi Issues Within the Lesbian Community in Japan (Yuriko Iino) * Noras on the Road: Family and Marriage of Lesbian Women in Shanghai (Lucetta Yip Lo Kam) * Lesbian Mothers in Japan: An Insider's Report (Keiko Arita) * Lesbians in China's Mainland: A Brief Introduction (Yaya Chen and Yiqing Chen) * Lesbian Discourses in Mainstream Magazines in Post-War Japan: Is Onabe Distinct from Rezubian? (Ikuko Sugiura) * Possibilities and Limitations of "Lesbian Continuum": The Case of a Protestant Church in Japan (Yuri Horie) * The Lesbian Rights Movement and Feminism in South Korea (Soo Jin Park-Kim [Park Tong], Soo Youn Lee-Kim [Siro], and Eun Jung Kwon-Lee [Yuri]) * Index * Reference Notes Included

筆者は日本におけるレズビアンの経験・生活を分析するにあたって、その背景となる理論を確立する過程で、英文で書かれた日本の同性間セクシュアリティに関する研究が、数人の研究者によるものによって占められ... more 筆者は日本におけるレズビアンの経験・生活を分析するにあたって、その背景となる理論を確立する過程で、英文で書かれた日本の同性間セクシュアリティに関する研究が、数人の研究者によるものによって占められている状況に直面した。それらの英語文献における主張は、日本における同性愛に対する寛容さ、セクシュアリティの多様さ、さらにアイデンティティの一貫性のなさを想起させるものである。本稿ではそれらの主張および、日本の同性間セクシュアリティの一般化に対して意義を唱える。第一に、日本の同性愛に対する寛容さが誇張されることで、ジェンダーによる不平等やレズビアンに与えられるスティグマの問題をいかに無視しているかを示す。第二に、日本におけるアイデンティティの一貫性のなさという主張は、「西洋における一貫したアイデンティティ」を誇張することで可能となっており、アイデンティティに関する論考の対象が個人なのか集団なのかを混合したまま比較している、という分析レベルに問題があることを指摘する。これらの問題含みの主張や、日本のゲイ・レズビアン運動や活動家らは柔軟性がなく、西洋の真似に過ぎないという彼らの批判は、ある種のオリエンタリズムを反映しているとも考えられる。英語話者による日本のジェンダー・セクシュアリティ研究のコミュニティにおいては、見解の多様化を奨励し、日本におけるクィアな人々の経験や生活についての実証研究を推進して行くことが急務である

Dutch Crossing: Journal of Low Countries Studies, 2016

This paper presents the preliminary findings of interviews with adult non-partnered nonheterosexu... more This paper presents the preliminary findings of interviews with adult non-partnered nonheterosexual daughters in Hong Kong and Japan, in a larger project comparing the practices of intimacy between mothers and adult heterosexual and non-heterosexual daughters in the two East Asian societies. The interviews revealed the mechanisms through which heteronormativity is enforced, even in cases where the mothers have apparently accepted the daughters' sexuality and their female partners. While the daughters' socioeconomic achievements constitute a source of pride for the mothers, they do not thoroughly compensate for the daughters' gender and sexual transgressions. Likewise, while the presence of a partner could allay the mother's worry about the daughter, her presence or status in the family is not equivalent to that of a sibling's spouse.

Lesbians in East Asia, 2007

Gender and Sexuality Journal of Center For Gender Studies Icu, Mar 31, 2010

Gender and Sexuality Journal of Center For Gender Studies Icu, Mar 31, 2014

Kazoku syakaigaku kenkyu, 2013

rough a review of the extant literature on parent-adult child relationships, this paper showed ho... more rough a review of the extant literature on parent-adult child relationships, this paper showed how heterosexuality was generally assumed in studies of mother-daughter relationships and raised questions about the dynamics of such relationships when the daughter refuses to or cannot live up to heterosexual ideals. Taking as illustrations data from previous qualitative research on same-sex relationships, the authors showed that (1) heteronormativity is both enforced and challenged in the relationship between heterosexual mothers and lesbian daughters, (2) distancing and intimacy are not mutually exclusive, (3) disclosure is complex, (4) gender could facilitate intimacy without necessarily reinforcing heterosexual norms, and (5) the woman partner has a signi cant role to play in the relationship. In the conclusion, the authors argued that the focus on lesbian daughters and heterosexual mothers has larger implications for a queer analysis of family dynamics.

Department of Global and Interdisciplinary Studies, Hosei University, Mar 1, 2017

The Oxford Handbook of Global LGBT and Sexual Diversity Politics, 2019

This chapter discusses the intersection of sexual minority rights, global polity, and political e... more This chapter discusses the intersection of sexual minority rights, global polity, and political economy through case studies of marriage equality in Japan and Hong Kong. Past research on the complex relationship between local activism and global norms in Japan and Hong Kong is limited. Through a detailed analysis of interconnecting discursive practices among governments, local nongovernmental organizations on LGBT rights, United Nations covenants on discrimination against sexual orientation, and perceived global standards of marriage equality, the authors explore the lone pursuit of same-sex partnership benefits and rights as a potential illusion of progress, hence forestalling fundamental changes in wider society. As Hong Kong and Tokyo strive to be world cities in the Asian region with the forthcoming Tokyo Olympics in 2020 and Gay Games in Hong Kong in 2022, the chapter further examines the challenges for global norms to be invoked and reworked in domestic contexts.

To assess the impact of critical gender research on sociology in Japan, I analyzed 558 theoretica... more To assess the impact of critical gender research on sociology in Japan, I analyzed 558 theoretical and empirical articles published between 1989 and 2010 in the official journal of the Japan Sociological Society, Japanese Sociological Review (Shakaigaku Hyoron). All the articles were coded for topic/ subarea, methodology, and gender, affiliation, and professional status of the author(s). In addition, the gender-relevant articles were analyzed to gauge the extent to which a critical gender approach was adopted that challenged conventional sociological research, theories or concepts. It was found that while men authored the vast majority of the articles published, women authored the vast majority of the gender relevant articles. Further, there was no sign of vibrant critical gender research among junior scholars. However, despite the limited impact of gender research on sociology, there were also clear signs of critical challenges to the conventional practice of sociology. Gender Rese...

Journal of Gender Studies

ABSTRACT This paper analyzes how SOGI (sexual orientation and gender identity) rights and same-se... more ABSTRACT This paper analyzes how SOGI (sexual orientation and gender identity) rights and same-sex partnership are framed and discussed at the macro-level of state discourse as well as the micro-level of individual negotiation of partnership in Japan. Drawing on but reformulating Puar’s concept of homonationalism, we found that the Japanese state projects a progressive national identity that consists ironically in denying full citizenship to sexual and gender minorities. It invokes an alleged history of tolerance in Japan to frame its ‘unique’ and ‘superior’ approach to SOGI rights. It is an approach inextricably bound to the heteronormative institution of marriage and family as a system of ruling. Arguments in favour of same-sex marriage reproduce the same narrative of tolerance, while naturalizing marriage and removing it from its sociolegal context and biologizing sexual orientation. Individuals contemplating or registering partnerships likewise reinforce the sanctity of marriage, even without embracing it. We suggest that a thorough discussion of marriage in its legal framework and historical context is necessary to develop the critical potential of same-sex partnership. We also advocate exploring intra-Asian influences in future research.