https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2450-277X
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ABSTRACT
This paper investigates the mediated narratives and identity construction of a reading club of female workers in call centers of multinational corporations in Dalian China, where the discourse of an empowering ‘female force' has been popularized and scrutinized on Chinese social media. These professional workers manage and construct their emerging middle-class identities through embodied experiences and mediated discourses fostered by an English reading club that is both online and offline. Responding to recent critiques of neoliberal feminism in the Chinese context, this study uses a mixed-method approach to unpack the complex processes of these women's identity construction and performance through participatory reading practices. This includes ethnographic participant observation in offline reading club activities, in-depth interviews, and a discourse analysis of mediated narratives on social media (WeChat). We argue that Chinese working women's identity construction and performance are shaped by complex intersections of class, nation, gender and workplace/institutions, where their encounters are in flux, given the changing neoliberal globalization process after China’s four-decade long opening up reform. This study challenges and extends the critique of neoliberal feminism and finds evidence of agency and tactical engagement whereby female workers negotiate their emerging middle-class identities and forge possible solidarities within a networked workplace.
ABSTRACT IN CHINESE
本文着眼“女子力”话语调查分析了大连软件园某全球呼叫中心英文读书会中女性的媒介化话语和身份认同构建过程。 本文对身份认同理论进行创新尝试，提出“社会性过渡自我”，阐释职业女性身份认同构建和展演过程的多重制约因素，挑战并发展了对新自由主义女性主义的批判。本文指出在研究中国女性权利实践时不能陷入历史的虚无，她们运用科技、职场、公共领域等资源，策略性运用资本制造的潮流话语构建“网络化职场”，达成互助团结。
Acknowledgement
This paper emerged out of a two-year research project, which was long-due homework for both of us, as we worked in Dalian Software Park and witnessed its 10- and 20-year anniversaries among other changes. To invoke the feminist manifesto “the personal is the political,” we feel that both men and women should and could contribute to gender equality in China. An earlier version of this was presented at IAMCR’s 2019 annual conference in Madrid. We thank the participants, editors and the anonymous reviewers for their comments and suggestions. We would like to dedicate this paper to the aspirational workers in Dalian, as without their support and generosity, this project would not have been possible.
Notes
1 In China, different cities have different incentive schemes to ensure that talented persons do not leave. In order for a household register to be issued, one needs to fulfill a set of criteria that includes education, work permits, and investments. Shanghai and Beijing, for example, will automatically issue the hukou for those who have PhDs. Shenzhen, in contrast, has a local credit system that includes tax contributions, real estate investment and residential history.
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Zhen Troy Chen
Zhen Troy CHEN, PhD, FHEA, is an Assistant Professor of Media, Communication and Cultural Studies at the University of Nottingham, Ningbo campus. He is also an Adjunct Research Fellow of the Griffith Centre for Design and Innovation Research at Griffith University. His research interests are in digital media, journalism, cultural and creative industries, cultural and media policy (copyright) and experience design. His recent research papers have appeared in Journal of Consumer Culture, Ethics and Information Technology, Social Semiotics, Global Media and China. Email: [email protected]
La-Mei Chen
La-mei CHEN, is an Independent Scholar based in Dalian, China. She did a BA degree in English Literature and Education and has extensive working experience in multinational companies working in business operations, corporate communication, and people development for about 20 years. Email: [email protected]