Document Type
Journal Article
Department/Unit
Department of Sociology
Title
Modernization of power in legal and medical discourses: The birth of the (male) homosexual in Hong Kong and its aftermath
Language
English
Abstract
The removal of homosexuality from the list of mental disorders and the repeal of restrictive sexual laws deem that Foucault's argument on the discursive control of homosexuality requires refinement to take into consideration the continual modernization and improvement of power. This article examines the multilayered discursive terrain in Hong Kong where homosexuality is created, regulated, and contested in the contemporary era. With the popularization of human rights discourse, sexual dissidents are not simply treated as criminal or pathological; rather, legal and medical discourses have shifted to an increasing reliance on notions of risk to put mechanisms of social regulation in place. © 2012 Copyright Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
Keywords
discourse, HIV/AIDS, Hong Kong, legal reform, risk
Publication Date
2012
Source Publication Title
Journal of Homosexuality
Volume
59
Issue
10
Start Page
1403
End Page
1423
Publisher
Taylor & Francis
DOI
10.1080/00918369.2012.724943
Link to Publisher's Edition
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00918369.2012.724943
ISSN (print)
00918369
ISSN (electronic)
15403602
Recommended Citation
Wong, Day, and Pik Ki Leung. "Modernization of power in legal and medical discourses: The birth of the (male) homosexual in Hong Kong and its aftermath." Journal of Homosexuality 59.10 (2012): 1403-1423.