Shifting Traditions of Childrearing in China: Narratives from Three Generations of Women

Cover
Half Title
Series Information
Title Page
Copyright Page
Table of Contents
List of Figures and Tables
Acronyms and Abbreviations
Acknowledgements
1 Introduction
	Biographical Reflections
	Mapping the Historical Background of the Three Generations of Women
	An Overview of the Book
	Notes
2 The Conceptualisation of Mothering
	Introduction
	Scientific Discourses in Child-Rearing Practices
	Researching Motherhood From a Feminist Perspective
		The Western Feminist Concepualisation of Motherhood
			Critiques of the Essentialist View and Women’s Oppression
			Focusing On Mothers’ Agency and Practices
			Motherhood and Diversity
			Social, Historical and Policy Analysis: Three Main Historical Periods
			Emerging Mothers’ Subjectivities
			Media Portrayal of Chinese Mothers
	Motherhood Perceived By Chinese Feminist Research
	Intergenerational Approaches to Childrearing
		Grandparenting in the West
		Grandparenting in China
	Intergenerational Transmission
	My Feminist Conceptualisation of Mothering
3 Sociological Imagination and Psychological Sensitivities: Research Methods Matter
	Research Setting, Sampling and Recruitment
	Analysis of Stories
	Case Selection
	Some Methodological Issues
		Artificial Setting for the Big Story
		Reflection On the Dated Situated Subjectivity
		Partial But Valid Interpretation
	Notes
4 Growing-Up As a Girl: Experiences Across Three Generations
	Introduction
	The Great-Grandmothers: Growing Up in a Patriarchal Family Society
		The Sample in Its Historical Context
		Motherhood Through the Girls’ Eyes
			A Capable Housewife and Caring Mother
			A Capable Housewife
			A Caring Mother
			A Biased Mother and a Useless Mother
			The Sample in Its Historical Context
	The Grandmothers: Growing Up Under the Red Flag
		Happy and Sad Stories of ‘free-Range Style’
		Stories About a Warm Father
	The Mothers: A Modern Girl
		The Sample in Its Historical Context
		The Stories of Growing Up
		Preference for Boys in Modern Times
	Summary
	Notes
5 From ‘liberated Woman’ and ‘virtuous Wife and Good Mother’ to Full-Time Mother
	Introduction and Concepts
	Work and Care
	The Great-Grandmothers’ Generation
		Great-grandmother Zhao Xue: A Liberated Woman
			Lived Life
			Told Stories
			Synthesis of the Lived Life and Told Story
		Great-grandmother Zhu Yu: An ‘irresponsible’ Mother
			Lived Life
			Told Stories
			Synthesis of Lived Life and Told Stories
		Summary
			Lived Life
			Told Stories
			Synthesis of the Lived Life and Told Stories
			The Lived Life
			Told Stories
			Synthesis of Lived Life and Told Stories
	The Grandmothers’ Generation
	Grandmother Jiang Ping: A Regretful Mother
	Grandmother Chen Rong: A ‘virtuous Wife and Good Mother’
		Summary
	The Mothers’ Generation
		Mother Li Wei: A Chinese Version of Intensive Mothering
			The Lived Life
			Told Stories
		The Omissions in Her Story
			Synthesis of the Lived Life and Told Stories
		Mother Wang Cheng: A Modern ‘careless’ Mother
			Lived Life
			Told Stories
			Synthesis of the Lived Life and Told Stories
		Summary
	Conclusion
	Notes
6 Intergenerational Transmissions Across Three Generations of Women
	Introduction
	Transmission Processes
		Tangible and Intangible Things
		Conscious and Unconscious Transmission
		Receiver’s Resistance and Relationality
		Mothers’ and Other Family Members’ Influence in Transmission
		Intergenerational Transmission and Social Mobility
	Case Analysis
		Intergenerational Transmission in the Zhao Family
			Three Zhao Women’s Lived Lives
			Transmission of Occupational Routes
			The Transmission of Relational Pattern: The Distanced Mother–daughter Relationship
			Transmission of Personal Qualities: A Family of Strong and independent Women
		Intergenerational Transmission of the Shen Family
			The Three Shen Women’s Lived Lives
			Transmission of Cultural Capital: A Curse and a Blessing
			(Unconsciously) Transmitting Family Trauma and (consciously) transmitting a Close Relationship Among Women
	Conclusion
	Notes
7 Discussion and Conclusion
	Introduction
	The Complex Pictures of Change and Continuity
		Growing-up As Girls Across Three Generations
	Mothering Experiences
	Intergenerational Transmission
	Reflection of Concepts
		Biographical Time and Historical Time
		Practices
		Intensive Mothering Or Intensive Grandmothering/grandparenting
	The Contribution of An Intergenerational Design: Reflection On Women’s Agency
	The Evolution of My Biography
	Note
Appendix 1 An Introduction to the Families
	Zhao Family
	Li Family
	Qian Family
	Sun Family
	Chen Family
	Jiang Family
	Han Family
	Wang Family
	Zhu Family
	Shen Family
	Wu Family
	Chu Family
Appendix 2 A Brief History of Bengbu
Appendix 3 The Cultural Revolution
	The ‘four Clearances’
	Formal Start
	The Intensive Period of the Cultural Revolution
	Coming Back to the City
References
Index