| ID | 167386 |
| Title Proper | Empowerment of rural migrant lalas |
| Other Title Information | contending queerness and heteronormativity in China |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Liu, Tingting |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | In today’s China, women’s social roles continue to be rigidly associated with gender-based responsibilities that include defending the integrity of their family, entering into heteronormative marriage, and showing reproductive capabilities. Most of those who self-identify as lalas (lesbians) struggle with such issues as self-shaming emotions, disclosing their homosexuality to family members, friends, or colleagues, and dealing with family and social pressures. Within this context, I investigate queerness in a group of young Chinese rural migrant lalas working and living in the industrial area of the Pearl River Delta economic zone in South China. I draw two conclusions. First, rural-to-urban labour migration empowers rural female lalas by providing a measure of economic independence and an escape from patriarchal and homophobic family relations. Second, the integration of traditional (offline and face-to-face) socializing locations and emerging virtual communicative spaces plays an important role in the process through which possibilities of living a queer life are carved out. |
| `In' analytical Note | China Information Vol. 33, No.2; Jul 2019: p.165-184 |
| Journal Source | China Information 2019-08 33, 2 |
| Key Words | Digital Media ; Lesbian ; Rural-to-Urban Migration ; Queer ; Heteronormativity ; Media Anthropology |