Chinese Fatherhood, Gender and Family: Father Mission

231 Pages·2017·1.902 MB·English

by  Mario Liong (auth.)

Chinese Fatherhood,
Gender and Family
Father Mission
Mario
Liong
PALGRAVE MACMILLAN STUDIES
IN FAMILY AND INTIMATE LIFE
Palgrave Macmillan Studies in Family
and Intimate Life
Series Editors
Graham Allan
Keele University
United Kingdom
Lynn Jamieson
University of Edinburgh
Edinburgh, United Kingdom
David H.J. Morgan
University of Manchester
United Kingdom
The Palgrave Macmillan Studies in Family and Intimate Life series is
impressive and contemporary in its themes and approaches' - Professor
Deborah Chambers, Newcastle University, UK, and author of New
Social Ties The remit of the Palgrave Macmillan Studies in Family and
Intimate Life series is to publish major texts, monographs and edited
collections focusing broadly on the sociological exploration of intimate
relationships and family organization. The series covers a wide range of
topics such as partnership, marriage, parenting, domestic arrangements,
kinship,demographicchange,intergenerationalties,lifecoursetransitions,
step-families, gay and lesbian relationships, lone-parent households, and
also non-familial intimate relationships such as friendships and includes
fi fi
works by leading gures in the eld, in the UK and internationally, and
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aims to contribute to continue publishing in uential and prize-winning
research.
More information about this series at
http://www.springer.com/series/14676
MarioLiong
Chinese Fatherhood,
Gender and Family
Father Mission
MarioLiong
CentennialCollege
PokFuLam,HongKong
PalgraveMacmillanStudiesinFamilyandIntimateLife
ISBN978-1-137-44185-0 ISBN978-1-137-44186-7 (eBook)
DOI10.1057/978-1-137-44186-7
LibraryofCongressControlNumber:2016959201
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To my parents,
Hoen Foeng and Yau Tuen
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank Equal Opportunities Commission, Hong Kong,
“
which commissioned the project Exploratory Study on Gender
”
Stereotyping and Its Impacts on Male Gender to the Gender Research
fi
Centre, Hong Kong Institute of Asia-Paci c Studies at the Chinese
University of Hong Kong, in which I was a co-investigator, for their
permission to use the data in this book. The focus group and in-depth
interviewdataoftheprojecthavecontributedtoanimportantpartofthe
analysis in the book. I would like to extend gratitude to the principal
investigator of the project, Susanne Choi, co-principal investigator
Winton Au, and team members Angela Wong, Margaret Wong, Sally
Lo, and K.C. Chao, for their insights, efforts, and kindness to make the
collaboration both fruitful and pleasurable.
I would like to express appreciation to my mentors, friends, and
colleagues who have given me much encouragement and support, as
well as insightful feedback and advice for this book project, especially
Jeanne Marecek, Siumi Maria Tam, Ann Öhman, Anna Croon Fors,
Kerstin Norlander, Linda Berg, Anna Foka, Alex Chan, Dannii Yeung,
Grand Cheng, and Karita Kan. Special thanks to Isabella Ng, who has
fi
givenmemuchadviceandreassurance duringmytimesofdif culty,and
vii
viii Acknowledgements
fi
often has more con dence in my abilities than I do. I appreciate the
support and understanding from John Malpas at Centennial College in
accommodating mybookprojectintheworkarrangement.Ifeelgrateful
to Jeanne Marecek and Kam Louie for writing short blurbs for my book.
I am also grateful to Sharla Plant, Amelia Derkatsch, Harriet Barker,
Andrew James, and Chris Grieves at Palgrave Macmillan for their
patience, support, and generous assistance throughout the whole process
of bringing this book to fruition.
fi
My eldwork and interviews could not have been successful without
the generous help of my informants. I am grateful to them for allowing
me to listen to their inner worlds and sometimes painful life experiences.
I could feel their warmth and care during my participant observation in
the discussion groups.
Norcouldthishave beenachievedwithout myparents, YauTuenand
HoenFoeng.Theircontinuedsupport,love,andcareweremymotivation
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in nishing it. I feel indebted to them for bringing me to this world and
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their sel ess support of my studies.
Contents
1 Introduction: Chinese Fatherhood Revisited 1
2 FromControltoCare:HistoricizingFamilyandFatherhood
in Hong Kong 39
3 Power of Invisible Care 73
4 Cultural Parent 109
5 Marrying Masculine Responsibility 139
6 Rethinking Chinese Fatherhood 171
ix
x Contents
Appendix 187
Bibliography 189
Index 213