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Accepted Paper:
Performed selves and invented identities: drag queens and Taishu Engeki
Carmen Tamas
(University of Hyogo)
This paper is an attempt to clarify the relationship between a worldwide phenomenon—drag queens, that is, performed crossdressing—and Japanese performing arts. The analysis is based on a comparison with taishu engeki— the Japanese popular theater which brings together the sacred and the profane.
Paper long abstract:
This paper is an attempt to clarify the relationship between a worldwide phenomenon—drag queens, that is, performed crossdressing—and Japanese traditional performing arts. The 21st century is an age where the fluidization of gender has gained wider recognition and acceptance as a social aspect that requires changes not only in laws and regulations, but also in the way we look at the world, and the way we understand and teach culture. Many research projects focus on explaining gender and gender equality in contemporary society, but the current paper (based on extensive fieldwork) has a different goal. I intend to look at the drag queen phenomenon from the perspective of performance: what is specific to Japanese drag queen shows? How do they draw from the repository of Japanese myth and ritual to create something that combines universal patterns of thought with culture-specific elements? For a better understanding of the phenomenon, a parallel will be drawn with taishu engeki— the Japanese popular theater which centers almost exclusively on crossdressing, and which is known for creating collaborative performances with drag queens and kagura troupes, on a stage where the sacred and the profane come together.