In One's Own Shadow: An Ethnographic Account of the Condition of Post-reform Rural China

Liu, Xin

ISBN 10: 0520219945 / ISBN 13: 9780520219946

Published by University of California Press, 2000

About this Item

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Seller Inventory # 0520219945-01

Bibliographic Details

• Title: In One's Own Shadow: An Ethnographic Account of the Condition of Post-reform Rural China
• Publisher: University of California Press
• Publication Date: 2000
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0520219945
• ISBN 13: 9780520219946
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: Very Good

About this title

Synopsis

China underwent a dramatic social transformation in the last decade of the twentieth century. This powerful ethnographic study of one community focuses on the logic of everyday practice in post-reform rural China. Enriched with many vivid anecdotes describing life in the village of Zhaojiahe in northwestern China, In One's Own Shadow skillfully analyzes the changes and continuities marking the recent history of this region and highlights the broader implications for the way we understand Chinese modernity.

Liu's narrative provides a wonderfully evocative exploration of many domains of everyday life such as kinship and marriage traditions, food systems, ceremonial celebrations, social relations, and village politics. He brings to life many of the personalities and customs of Zhaojiahe as he presents the villagers' strategies to modernize in an environment of scarce resources and a discredited cultural heritage. This accessibly written ethnography will be an essential contribution to the anthropology of China.

About the Author

Xin Liu is Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the University of California, Berkeley.