“We all live with many selves at once – that’s the true nature of life.” - Exploring Tibetan Identities through Audience Study on Native Tibetan Film Balloon (2019)
(2025) MKVM13 20251Media and Communication Studies
Department of Communication and Media
- Abstract
- This thesis explores the construction and negotiation of Tibetan identities through the lens of native Tibetan cinema, with a focus on Pema Tseden’s Balloon (2019). Drawing on theories of identity as construction, cultural hybridity, and minor cinema, the study examines how cinematic narratives and audience interpretations intersect to produce a nuanced understanding of Tibetan identities in contemporary China.
The research is structured across three analytical dimensions. First, the thesis critically examines the gendered construction of identity within Balloon, foregrounding how female reproductive agency and crises in masculinity are portrayed. It argues that the film situates gender as a key site of cultural negotiation, where gender... (More) - This thesis explores the construction and negotiation of Tibetan identities through the lens of native Tibetan cinema, with a focus on Pema Tseden’s Balloon (2019). Drawing on theories of identity as construction, cultural hybridity, and minor cinema, the study examines how cinematic narratives and audience interpretations intersect to produce a nuanced understanding of Tibetan identities in contemporary China.
The research is structured across three analytical dimensions. First, the thesis critically examines the gendered construction of identity within Balloon, foregrounding how female reproductive agency and crises in masculinity are portrayed. It argues that the film situates gender as a key site of cultural negotiation, where gender norms, traditions, and state-imposed policies intersect, often producing moral and existential dilemmas.
Second, through audience interviews with young, educated Tibetan and Monba audiences, the study investigates how viewers engage with the film’s narrative to reflect upon their own hybrid identities. These participants articulate a form of cultural negotiation that is neither purely traditional nor entirely modern but situated in the hybrid cultural experiences. Their reflections reveal how Tibetan identities are actively reimagined through media engagement, spiritual beliefs, and everyday practices.
Third, the thesis situates Balloon within the broader context of native Tibetan cinema as a form of minor cinema, emphasising its capacity to speak from the margins while engaging with dominant discourses. In doing so, these films mediate power dynamics related to ethnicity, cultural recognition, and political voice.
Ultimately, this thesis argues that Tibetan identity is not a fixed essence, but a dynamic and contested process shaped by hybrid influences. Native Tibetan cinema, particularly Balloon, functions as both a cultural product and a dialogic space through which power relations, generational shifts, and spiritual values are made visible, negotiated, and transformed. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9188692
- author
- Zhang, Qi LU
- supervisor
- organization
- course
- MKVM13 20251
- year
- 2025
- type
- H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
- subject
- keywords
- Native Tibetan cinema, media and identity, Tibetan identity, identity construction, cultural hybridity, minor cinema, audience engagement, representation, recognition, power and media
- language
- English
- id
- 9188692
- date added to LUP
- 2025-07-04 08:07:11
- date last changed
- 2025-07-04 08:07:11
@misc{9188692,
abstract = {{This thesis explores the construction and negotiation of Tibetan identities through the lens of native Tibetan cinema, with a focus on Pema Tseden’s Balloon (2019). Drawing on theories of identity as construction, cultural hybridity, and minor cinema, the study examines how cinematic narratives and audience interpretations intersect to produce a nuanced understanding of Tibetan identities in contemporary China.
The research is structured across three analytical dimensions. First, the thesis critically examines the gendered construction of identity within Balloon, foregrounding how female reproductive agency and crises in masculinity are portrayed. It argues that the film situates gender as a key site of cultural negotiation, where gender norms, traditions, and state-imposed policies intersect, often producing moral and existential dilemmas.
Second, through audience interviews with young, educated Tibetan and Monba audiences, the study investigates how viewers engage with the film’s narrative to reflect upon their own hybrid identities. These participants articulate a form of cultural negotiation that is neither purely traditional nor entirely modern but situated in the hybrid cultural experiences. Their reflections reveal how Tibetan identities are actively reimagined through media engagement, spiritual beliefs, and everyday practices.
Third, the thesis situates Balloon within the broader context of native Tibetan cinema as a form of minor cinema, emphasising its capacity to speak from the margins while engaging with dominant discourses. In doing so, these films mediate power dynamics related to ethnicity, cultural recognition, and political voice.
Ultimately, this thesis argues that Tibetan identity is not a fixed essence, but a dynamic and contested process shaped by hybrid influences. Native Tibetan cinema, particularly Balloon, functions as both a cultural product and a dialogic space through which power relations, generational shifts, and spiritual values are made visible, negotiated, and transformed.}},
author = {{Zhang, Qi}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{“We all live with many selves at once – that’s the true nature of life.” - Exploring Tibetan Identities through Audience Study on Native Tibetan Film Balloon (2019)}},
year = {{2025}},
}