Intimacy as a Lens on Work and Migration

Experiences of Ethnic Performers in Southwest China

Jingyu Mao

• Publisher: Bristol University Press
• Year: 2024
• ISBN:
  9781529225860
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Emigration & Immigration
• Index: Social Sciences

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.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Series Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Table of Contents
• List of Figures
• Glossary
• About the Author
• Acknowledgements
• Series Preface
• 1 Introduction
• 2 Ethnic Performance Work
• 3 Intimate Negotiations along Rural–Urban Borders
• 4 Encountering Ethnicity
• 5 Gendering the Border Struggles
• 6 Conclusion
• Notes
• References
• Index