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

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.

About the author

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

Summary

This book explores the experiences of ethnic performers' in a small Chinese city. 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.

Product details

• Authors: Jingyu Mao, Jingyu (The University of Edinburgh) Mao
• Publisher: Bristol University Press
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 23.07.2024
• EAN: 9781529225853
• ISBN: 978-1-5292-2585-3
• No. of pages: 168
• Dimensions: 156 mm x 234 mm x 11 mm
• Weight: 417 g
• Series: Global migration and social change; Global Migration and Social Ch
• Subjects: Non-fiction book > Politics, society, business > Politics; Social sciences, law, business > Sociology > Sociological theories