Wo, je, I, ni, tu, you: The performance of identity in the theatre of Gao Xingjian*

Before winning the Nobel Prize for literature in 2000, Gao Xingjian did not figure prominently into world drama. That is, he did not register on the culture radars outside of China and France. Clearly, Gao and his work were not completely ignored in the world before his award. However, it was only after 2000 that he became a sort of cultural darling of France and of his native and alienated China. Much of the hype surrounding Gao was precisely his nebulous nationality and cultural heritage. Depending on which newspaper one read announcing his award, one could surmise Gao to be either Chinese or French. He already had been recognized as a significant literary figure in France, and awarded the title of chevalier des lettres (1992). His novel Lingshan (Soul Mountain) had been published in two languages, and his plays had been produced in theatres across the globe. Gao's work as a visual artist had been exhibited widely and received praise and been published in 1996 in Taiwan and 1998 in France. He hardly could be considered an unknown. What was debatable in 2000 and still questionable today is Gao's identity. It is this concept that I will explore in this dissertation. Identity in the context of nationality, place, and performance will all be discussed. I will explore Gao's complex manipulation of identity on these three different levels as they are expressed in his theatrical works. Gao undeniably occupies a culturally liminal plane that affords him many luxuries, but also costs him much in the realm of identity. His work reflects the complex and highly regulated discourses of a post-colonial world where information and knowledge is disseminated at such speed that the identity of creation blurs and can disappear. In the aftermath of the Nobel Prize, Gao's identity became a commodity to the world, something to be bartered and traded. This dissertation will not present Gao as a victim or subject to these forces, but rather as a conscious artists working within and beyond this new global market of culture.