Book Reviews by Min Zhang
Social Anthropology/Anthropologie Sociale , 2020
Social Anthropology, 2017
Journal Articles by Min Zhang
children & society, 2021
The protective restriction of children moving into adult- hood has attracted growing attention am... more The protective restriction of children moving into adult- hood has attracted growing attention among the public and experts. This article ethnographically explores how China's suburban teachers practice a selective restric- tion to help children mature properly. It demonstrates that while educators work to mitigate students' concrete contact with the adult environments, they also incul- cate students with the harsh realities of the adult world. It contends that educators' paradoxical attitudes are closely related to the transitional view of childhood in contemporary Chinese society. Consequently, this ideal childhood with appropriate maturity has become a deli- cate status to achieve and—more importantly—not to overdo.
CHILDREN’S GEOGRAPHIES, 2021
The classroom is a crucial, everyday element of children’s geographies with important socio-spati... more The classroom is a crucial, everyday element of children’s geographies with important socio-spatial characteristics that demand scholarly attention. This study ethnographically investigates the production of meanings in the classroom space through seating. Building on the conceptual framework of spatial dialectic (Lefebvre, H. 1991. The Production of Space. Translated by Donald Nicholson-Smith. Oxford: Blackwell), it theorizes that classroom space is a fluid process that shapes and is shaped by the everyday spatial practices of teachers and students. Specifically it draws on the fieldwork conducted at a suburban middle school in China’s underdeveloped northwest region, exploring the process by which the hierarchical seating arrangements are used as a pedagogical tool for creating a charged space conducive for learning at the classroom level. The study reveals that the built space in the classroom has been transformed into a space imbued with moral terms, in and through which students are expected to commit themselves to schoolwork.
Ethnography, 2020
Student resistance is one of the central themes in the study of schooling and inequality. This ar... more Student resistance is one of the central themes in the study of schooling and inequality. This article used sound as a means of inquiry to investigate how China's suburban teenagers-a segment largely overlooked in prior scholarly writing-resist the school values amid the exaltation of success and widening stratification in contemporary Chinese society. Drawing on fieldwork in a suburban middle school in Northwest China, I demonstrated that students utilize a wide range of sound acts-burlesqued shouts, subdued murmurs, and sometimes pervasive silence-to resist educators' moralized lectures on the seriousness of schoolwork and the prospects of education success. Lodged in the liminal space within China's socioeconomic and spatial hierarchy, suburban youths expressed their disbelief and disillusion-both in and through sound-in an environment that offers few avenues for social mobility.
East Asian Policy, 2019
China officially ended its one-child policy effective from 1 January 2016. Yet the effects of the... more China officially ended its one-child policy effective from 1 January 2016. Yet the effects of the relaxation of birth control policy have been limited thus far. Largely relying upon policy incentives, China's policymakers also face pressure to take more direct measures to boost fertility rate. Whether the Chinese government is able to balance the needs of the nation and the citizens' private rights remains a big question mark.
Ethnography and Education, 2019
This study explores the multilayered meanings of classroom seating order – a crucial spatial elem... more This study explores the multilayered meanings of classroom seating order – a crucial spatial element of school life – and its influences on children’s experiences. Drawing on fieldwork in a secondary school in northwest China, I ethnographically examine how school educators impose a hierarchy of seats in moral terms. My study shows that classroom seating arrangements in China’s underprivileged public schools are perceived as a hierarchy. Teachers motivate students to take learning seriously by strategically assigning the students to hierarchical seating locations and manipulating the proximity of their seats. I contend that classroom seating order has been transformed into a symbolic hierarchy to cultivate students’ attitude, a moral attribute considered crucial for achieving educational success. This study contributes to the emerging literature on the space in relation to educational processes. By situating the classroom seating into broader social-cultural-economic processes, it also demonstrates the methodological value of ethnographical examination of classroom.
Book Chapters by Min Zhang
Research Projects by Min Zhang
Conference & Seminars by Min Zhang
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Book Reviews by Min Zhang
Journal Articles by Min Zhang
Book Chapters by Min Zhang
Research Projects by Min Zhang
Conference & Seminars by Min Zhang