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Filial Daughters? Agency and Subjectivity of Rural Migrant Women in Shanghai

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 May 2016

Yang Shen
Yang Shen*
Affiliation:
School of International and Public Affairs, Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Email: shenyang0118@gmail.com.
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Abstract

In China, continuous rural–urban migration on a massive scale disrupts the traditional rural patriarchal society and makes the temporary non-patrilocal way of residence possible. This new residential pattern has brought profound changes to the lives of migrants. Based on participant observation and interviewing, this article intends to explore the exercise of agency and the representation of subjectivity of female migrant workers in intimate relations after migration. By emphasizing the intergenerational relationship and partner relationships of both unmarried and married women, I demonstrate a complicated picture regarding the changing status of rural migrant women and show how these women both conform and challenge the social norm of filial obligations, through which their agency is exerted and subjectivity is crafted.

摘要

持续的大规模的城乡移民中断了中国农村传统的父权社会, 使得暂时的非 “从夫居” 居住模式成为可能。这一新的居住模式对农民工的生活产生深远影响。基于参与式观察以及访谈, 此文致力于探索女性农民工在打工之后如何在亲密关系中发挥主观能动性, 以及表达主体性。通过研究未婚与已婚女性与父母以及伴侣的关系, 该文展示了打工女性地位变化的复杂图景。这些女性既服从又挑战了孝顺的观念, 她们在实践中重新定义什么是孝顺, 在实践中发挥了主观能动性, 并塑造了 “孝顺的女儿” 的主体性。

Keywords

agencysubjectivityChinafilial pietyrural migrant womenintimate relationship主观能动性主体性孝顺女性农民工亲密关系
Type
Articles
Information
The China Quarterly , Volume 226 , June 2016 , pp. 519 - 537
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Copyright
Copyright © The China Quarterly 2016 

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