Chinese Fatherhood, Gender and Family: Father Mission (Palgrave Macmillan Studies in Family and Intimate Life)

This book is about how Chinese men make sense of and practise fatherhood within the context of changing gender conventions and socio-cultural conditions. Liong analyses data from participant observations at a men's centre, focus groups, and in-depth interviews, to assess the subjective experience and identities of Chinese fathers in Hong Kong, from a gender perspective. His findings show that economic provision, education, and marriage are the three "natural" and "normal" domains of paternity. Not being able to fulfil these requirements is a threat to fathers' masculinity, yet is also an opportunity for fathers to reflect upon these accepted conventions. In order to compensate, these men typically develop a closer and more caring relationship with their children, however these fathers still struggle with feelings of inferiority. "Dedication "--"Acknowledgements" -- "Contents" -- "1: Introduction: Chinese Fatherhood Revisited" -- "The Controversy of ``New FatherhoodÂþÂþ" -- "Researching Fatherhood" -- "Paternal Involvement" -- "The Masculine Construction of Fatherhood" -- "Traditional Chinese Fatherhood and Family" -- "Contemporary Chinese Fatherhood" -- "Aim of the Book" -- "Theoretical Framework" -- "Structure/Agency" -- "Gendered Habitus and Reflexivity" -- "Structure and Agency in Chinese Fatherhood" -- "Hegemony of Men" -- "Methodology of the Study" -- "Structure of the Book" -- "Bibliography" -- "2: From Control to Care: Historicizing Family and Fatherhood in Hong Kong" -- "The Cultural Notion of Chinese Family" -- "Fatherhood in Traditional Chinese Culture" -- "Historicizing Family and Fathers in Hong Kong" -- "Early Colonial Period: Nineteenth Century" -- "Pre- and Post-Second World War: Early Twentieth Century" -- "Economic Boom: 1970s and 1980s" -- "Changing Gender Scene? 1990s and Onwards" -- "Gender-Insensitive Family Policy" -- "Fatherhood in Hong Kong Today" -- "MenÂþs Movement in the Family Context" -- "Conclusion: New Wine in Old Bottles" -- "Bibliography" -- "3: Power of Invisible Care" -- "Economic Provision as Masculine Achievement" -- "Care of the Family" -- "Socio-Economic and Class Factor on Economic Provision" -- "Economic Provision as Taken-for-granted Privilege" -- "Habitus and Reflexivity in Crisis Situations" -- "Conclusion" -- "Bibliography" -- "4: Cultural Parent" -- "Ideology of Education in Chinese Fatherhood" -- "Father as the Cultural Parent" -- "Education in Practice" -- "Developing ChildrenÂþs Academic and Intellectual Abilities" -- "Cultivating Desirable Values" -- "Challenge to Paternal Authority" -- "Conclusion" -- "Bibliography" -- "5: Marrying Masculine Responsibility" -- "Marriage as the Legitimate Path to Fatherhood." Annotation This volume is about how Chinese men make sense of and practise fatherhood within the context of changing gender conventions and socio-cultural conditions. Liong analyses data from participant observations at a men's centre, focus groups and in-depth interviews to assess the subjective experience and identities of Chinese fathers in Hong Kong, from a gender perspective Front Matter....Pages i-x Introduction: Chinese Fatherhood Revisited....Pages 1-38 From Control to Care: Historicizing Family and Fatherhood in Hong Kong....Pages 39-71 Power of Invisible Care....Pages 73-107 Cultural Parent....Pages 109-137 Marrying Masculine Responsibility....Pages 139-170 Rethinking Chinese Fatherhood....Pages 171-186 Back Matter....Pages 187-224 Mario Liong. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 189-212) And Index.