The Chinese Lifestyle
The Reconfiguration of the Middle Class in Contemporary China
- 184 pages
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
The Chinese Lifestyle
The Reconfiguration of the Middle Class in Contemporary China
About this book
The research presented in this book explores the formation of the middle class in contemporary urban China.
Including case studies on middle-class professionals living in Beijing, this book analyses how social and economic changes to Chinese society create a middle-class lifestyle and new forms of distinction with a particular focus on the social construction of identity. Looking through the lens of individuals' perception of life trajectories and ideological taxonomies generated within the framework of post-Maoist China, the book uncovers the role that the Chinese middle-class play in a state-sponsored discourse and where the distinctions identifying the middle-class lifestyle produce inequality, transfer privilege, and disadvantage in contemporary urban China. It goes on to question hegemonic discourses on class, arguing that a middle-class identity is progressively constructed in urban China not only though consumption practices, but through the experience of non-individualistic activities in both the public and private spheres.
Analyzing how social distinctions are performed contributes to the understanding of the Chinese middle-class pre-pandemic, as well as the continual challenges this social group shall face in the years to come. As such, this is a must read for those interested in the Chinese middle-class, Chinese politics, and gender studies.
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Information
Table of contents
- Cover
- Half Title
- Series Page
- Title Page
- Copyright Page
- Dedication
- Table of Contents
- List of illustrations
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction: The paradigm of the middle class in contemporary China
- 1. The discursive reconfiguration: Class and discourse construction after reform
- 2. The intellectual reconfiguration: Definitions, ideology, and the hidden agenda
- 3. Class reproduction and cultural consumption: The reconfiguration of the distinctive trajectories from the centre
- 4. Celebrities, happiness, and romance: The reconfiguration of the motivations to achieve
- 5. Family, friends, and the community: The reconfiguration of the private and public spheres
- Conclusions: New configurations to a post-pandemic future
- Index