Intimacy as a Lens on Work and Migration: Experiences of Ethnic Performers in Southwest China

by Jingyu Mao

Overview

This book explores the experiences of ethnic performers in a small Chinese city, aiming to better understand their work and migration journeys. Their unique position as service workers who have migrated within the same province provides valuable insights into the intersection of social inequalities related to the rural-urban divide, ethnicity and gender in contemporary China. Introducing the concept of ‘intimacy as a lens’, the author examines intimate negotiations involving emotions, sense of self and relationships as a way of understanding wider social inequalities.

Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork, the book reveals the bordering mechanisms encountered by performers in their work as they navigate between rural and urban environments, as well as between ethnic minority and Han identities. Emphasising the intimate and personal nature of these encounters, the book argues that they can help inform understanding of broader social issues.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781529225860
Publisher:	Bristol University Press
Publication date:	06/25/2024
Series:	Global Migration and Social Change
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	168
File size:	4 MB

About the Author

Jingyu Mao is Lecturer in Sociology at the University of Edinburgh.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction

2. Ethnic Performance Work

3. Intimate Negotiation Along the Rural-Urban Borders

4. Encountering Ethnicity

5. Gendering the Border Struggles

6. Conclusion

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“In her excellent study, Jingyu Mao compellingly shows how close attention to intimacy, affect and embodiment in the workplace offers fresh insights into China’s rural/urban divide and gender, class and ethnic inequalities.” Amy Hanser, University of British Columbia

Editorial Reviews

In her excellent study, Jingyu Mao compellingly shows how close attention to intimacy, affect and embodiment in the workplace offers fresh insights into China’s rural/urban divide and gender, class and ethnic inequalities.” Amy Hanser, University of British Columbia

From the Publisher