AbstractsHistory

The Photographically Mediated Identity: Jiang Qing (1914-1991)

by Yi Liu




Institution: Ohio University
Department: Art History (Fine Arts)
Degree: MA
Year: 2012
Keywords: Art History; Jiang Qing; Chinese Photography; the Cultural Revolution
Record ID: 1931566
Full text PDF: http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1343397183


Abstract

This thesis is a study of Jiang Qing's ¿¿¿¿¿¿¿ (1914-1991) published photographic works in Chinese national magazines from early 1950s to 1976. Dividing her works into three categories in chronological order, I will investigate how she continuously fashioned her own identity through the manipulation of photography in her pursuit of recognition, fame, and power before and during the Cultural Revolution, a socio-political campaign launched by her husband Mao Zedong ¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿ (1893-1976) to regain power and consolidate authority through the revolutionary campaign in ideological spheres, such as class struggle and eradication of old culture and custom. By regarding her works and her association with photography as text, based on which the historical context can be reconstructed, I purport to examine her role in the Cultural Revolution, concluding that her primary perceived identity as Mao's wife facilitated her rapid rise to power but also curbed her self-fulfillment and resulted in her final downfall soon after Mao died.