Language, Resistance and Ambivalence in Chinese Malaysian Political Satire
Published In
Sojourn-Journal of Social Issues in Southeast Asia
Document Type
Citation
Publication Date
11-1-2022
Abstract
The political satire of Teresa Kok’s Lunar New Year YouTube videos demonstrates creative resistance in their polylingual humorous critique of Malaysian politics. While drawing on traditions of Chinese political satire, the satirical skits employ the unique polylingual voices of Chinese Malaysians in critical performances that seek to evade censors and entertain a diverse audience. In addition to more direct political satire, the mixed languages in these skits perform hybridized Chinese Malaysian identities that suggest resistance to Malay assimilationist rhetoric. Meanwhile, these same mixed languages and the choices made between them express the diverse and sometimes ambivalent cultural and linguistic positions of contemporary Chinese Malaysians.
Rights
© 2022 ISEAS - Yusof Ishak Institute
Locate the Document
DOI
10.1355/sj37-3a
Publisher
ISEAS Publishing
Citation Details
Carstens, S. (2022). Language, Resistance and Ambivalence in Chinese Malaysian Political Satire. Journal of Social Issues in Southeast Asia, 37(3), 405–433.