Wang Xinran 王欣然

Educational:
B.A., China Foreign Affairs University, English Literature and Translation
M.A., Duke University, Critical Asian Humanities

Research interests:
Contemporary literature; Cultural studies; Food studies; gender studies

Introduction:
Foodie, good chef, and marathon runner.

Supervisor: Dr Tu Hang

Thesis Title: Foodie: Food in Post-socialist Chinese Écriture Féminine (Tentative)

If we are what we eat, then our consumption habits and culinary preparations become profound mediums, capturing our national, social, and personal identities as well as the shifts in the current sociopolitical fabric. This research delves into what I term as the “foodie culture” in Chinese Écriture Féminine, a phenomenon that surfaced post the 80s. It navigates the complex and at times contradictory interplay between the human consumer and their consumed counterpart: food, shedding light on gender dynamics and body politics. Through a pronounced gendered theoretical perspective, this study addresses two primary questions: Firstly, how do female narrators illustrate their ties with food (its tangible nature), its preparation (the acts of cooking and inhabiting the kitchen), and its consumption (whether dining in or out)? Secondly, how do these narratives amplify discussions about the interconnectedness of food, the body, and politics?