Anthropology of China

This course introduces students to contemporary Chinese culture and society, w/a focus on the rapid changes that have taken place during the post-Mao reform era in the People’s Republic of China (1978- present). Emphasis will be placed on the importance of historical and global context in developing an understanding of contemporary Chinese culture. Readings and lectures will draw primarily upon recent ethnographic work conducted in the PRC, but readings from the disciplines of history, political science, public health, and contemporary Chinese literature (in translation) will also be incorporated. Topics: family life, urbanization, housing, migration, gender, health/disease, labor, globalization, and cyberculture.