Yuyen Lin-Woywod
Culinary Identities:
The European Diasporic and Global Experience through a Taiwanese queer gaze
Yuyen Lin-Woywod’s PhD research explores the intersection of queer theory, cultural assimilation, and Taiwanese immigrant identity. The project critically examines the widespread appropriation of Asian culture in Europe, particularly in the restaurant industry, where Pan-Asian eateries homogenize distinct cuisines. This phenomenon raises questions about blurred boundaries—not only in culinary identity but also within the discourse of queerness and cultural theory.
Building on Queer Asian Studies, which challenges geopolitical narratives and colonial legacies, this study investigates how food culture and media shape identity. Drawing from Wen Liu’s idea of “Non-Western Sexuality, Queer Asia, or Cold War Geopolitics?”, the research contextualizes Taiwanese queer identity within global power dynamics. Inspired by Karen Barad’s “Nature’s Queer Performativity”, the project employs queering as a methodology to interrogate non-binary frameworks in culinary and media representations.
Through a creative PhD approach, Lin-Woywod integrates academic research with artistic practice, analyzing media—social platforms, publications, and film—to explore identity politics. The research ultimately seeks to expand the discourse on queerness, migration, and cultural hybridity, challenging hegemonic structures while positioning Taiwanese queer identity within broader socio-political contexts.
Key Points:
- Pan-Asian Cultural Appropriation – European mid-range Pan-Asian restaurants blur culinary identities, reflecting cultural assimilation.
- Queer Theory & Cultural Boundaries – Examining the intersection of queer theory and cultural identity formation.
- Taiwanese Immigrant Identity – Investigating how migration and media influence personal and collective identity.
- Queer Asian Studies – Exploring transnational structures, geopolitics, and decolonization in the context of queer East Asia.
- Queering as Methodology – Using queer theory to challenge normative structures in food culture and media representation.
Supervised by Prof Dr. Andrea Sick （Binational Artistic PhD program/ Hochschule für Künste Bremen ）and Dr.Julia Kühn （Artistic creative PhD/Graduate School for Humanities University Groningen）