Skip to main content

Research Repository

Advanced Search

Intimacy and Intergenerational Relations in Rural China

Liu, Jieyu

Intimacy and Intergenerational Relations in Rural China Thumbnail


Authors



Abstract

This article applies the concept of intimacy to examine relationships between adult children and their parents in rural China – an area which has been predominantly located in an obligatory framework. I reveal a qualitative difference in support between relationships built on intimate ties
and those bound by duty and obligation. A unilateral emphasis on obligation-based relationships can deprive both the parent and adult child generations of agency and autonomy, which can be
disempowering for both. The complex relations between intimacy and obligation are the product of local socio-economic circumstances and gender norms. Although traditional patrilineal and patrilocal culture excludes married daughters from the filial discourse surrounding their own parents, they are often considered to have the most intimate relationship with their parents. Paradoxically, the practices of intimacy between aged parents and their married daughters
strengthen the natal ties that facilitate modifications to patrilocal and patrilineal customs.

Citation

Liu, J. (2017). Intimacy and Intergenerational Relations in Rural China. Sociology, 51(5), 1034-1049. https://doi.org/10.1177/0038038516639505

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Feb 13, 2016
Online Publication Date Apr 27, 2016
Publication Date Oct 1, 2017
Deposit Date May 3, 2016
Publicly Available Date Jun 8, 2020
Journal Sociology
Print ISSN 0038-0385
Electronic ISSN 1469-8684
Publisher SAGE Publications
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 51
Issue 5
Pages 1034-1049
DOI https://doi.org/10.1177/0038038516639505
Keywords ageing, family, gender, intergenerational relations, intimacy, migration, rural China, social change
Additional Information Additional Information : Published online before print: 27 April 2016.

Files






You might also like



Downloadable Citations