The Subject of Gender: Daughters and Mothers in Urban China (Asian Voices)

Women in urban China have lived through decades of political turbulence, extensive socio-economic change, and the transformation of gender practices, expectations, and relationships. Among these is the mother-daughter relationship, one that has profound influence on women's gendered subjectivity but one that has been overlooked in research on gender and family in China. In The Subject of Gender, Harriet Evans reflects on how women in urban China make sense of the shifts in practices and representations of gender that frame their lives and how their self-identification as mothers and daughters contributes to the redefinition of those practices. Based on the memories and experiences of educated and professional women of different ages, this book discusses the mother-daughter relationship through various themes: separation, communication, domestic/public boundaries, male privilege, the sexed body, reproduction, and filial responsibilities. This fascinating work draws on feminist and critical theory and on anthropological and historical research to analyze the changing articulations of gender subjectivity that emerge from the links between discursive shifts, generational difference, and individual experiences of the mother-daughter relationship. "Women in urban China have lived through decades of political turbulence, extensive socio-economic change, and the transformation of gender practices, expectations, and relationships. Among these is the mother-daughter relationship, one that has profound influence on women's gendered subjectivity but one that has been overlooked in research on gender and family in China. In The Subject of Gender, Harriet Evans reflects on how women in urban China make sense of the shifts in practices and representations of gender that frame their lives and how their self-identification as mothers and daughters contributes to the redefinition of those practices. Based on the memories and experiences of educated and professional women of different ages, this book discusses the mother-daughter relationship through various themes: separation, communication, domestic/public boundaries, male privilege, the sexed body, reproduction, and filial responsibilities. This work draws on feminist and critical theory and on anthropological and historical research to analyze the changing articulations of gender subjectivity that emerge from the links between discursive shifts, generational differences, and individual experiences of the mother-daughter relationship."--BOOK JACKET Author Harriet Evans discusses mother-daughter relationships in urban China, reflecting on how women make sense of the shifts in practices and representations of gender that frame their lives, and how their self-identification as mothers and daughters contributes to the redefinition of those practices. Based on the memories and experiences of educated and professional women of different ages, the mother-daughter relationship is discussed through various themes: separation, communication, domestic/public boundaries, male privilege, the sexed body, reproduction, and filial responsibilities. Dedication Contents Acknowledgments 1 Encounters with Mothers and Daughters 2 Lives Apart 3 Communicative Bonds 4 Negotiating Gender Boundaries between "Inner" and "Outer" 5 Difference and Discrimination 6 The Gender of the Sexed Body 7 Reproducing Filiality 8 The Changing Subject of Gender Character List Bibliography Index About the Author