Young Chinese in Urban China
By Alex Cockain
Published November 28th 2011 by Routledge – 210 pages
Description
This book examines the condition of being a young person in China and the way in which changes in various dimensions of urban life have affected Chinese youths' quests to understand themselves.
The author examines social factors such as changes in the physical construction of urban neighbourhoods; changes in family life including reduced family size, increasing rates of divorce and increased physical mobility of the family unit; school life and mounting pressure to perform well in examinations and be a good student; access to foreign and domestic media as well as access to the internet. Drawing on the fields of social and cultural anthropology, Alex Cockain shows that the process of self understanding in a changing spatial, social and cultural world involves ongoing disjointed efforts to achieve a sense of security and belonging on the one hand and a degree of increased autonomy in their relationships with, for example, parents and teachers on the other.
This book will appeal to anyone interested in Chinese Society, Social and Cultural Anthropology, Asian Anthropology and Youth Studies.
Contents
1. Introduction: Moving on from Images of Red Guards, the Tank Man and Little Emperors Part 1: A Macro Context 2. Experiencing Neighbourhoods 3. Ambivalence and Tactics for Coping with the Tensions of Metropolitan Life 4. Bricolaic National and International Orientations Part 2: A Micro Context 5. Intergenerational Dynamics 6. Ambivalence toward Secondary Education and the Bitterness of the Gaokao Part 3: A Mediated Context 7. Engagements with Traditional Media 8. The Internet in Everyday Life 9. Online Carnival 10. Conclusions
Author Bio
Alex Cockain is currently a full-time lecturer within Shanghai Normal University's Sociology department. Between 2005 and 2011 he worked within Tsinghua University’s School of Continuing Education. In 2009, he earned a PhD from the University of London, School of Oriental and African Studies. He has been published in The China Journal.
Name: Young Chinese in Urban China (Hardback) – Routledge
Description: By Alex Cockain. This book examines the condition of being a young person in China and the way in which changes in various dimensions of urban life have affected Chinese youths' quests to understand themselves.
The author examines social factors such as changes...
Categories: East Asia, Youth Culture, Ethnicity, Social & Cultural Anthropology, Asian Studies - Race & Ethnics, Chinese Culture & Society