Chinese Transnational Families Care Circulation and Children’s Life Paths

The research presented in this book explores care and its circulation in Chinese transnational families that are split between China and Spain, and the paths these families’ children have taken through their lives so far: from their early years to their current position as young adults, with care, in its multiple dimensions and timescales – past, present and future – as the unifying thread. In doing so, it provides a contribution to the emerging body of research about care and transnational families and it posits the need to question hegemonic models of family, childhood and care, and to give voice and visibility to other actors, moving beyond the adult-centred perspective that dominates migration research. The ethnographic approach together with the focus on the day-to-day lives of these families, in which care is the core concept, as it permeates people’s lives and traverses society generationally, makes this book appealing to both scholars and general public.

Introduction: The Whole and its Parts PART I: RESEARCH CONTEXT Introduction: De/locating Qingtianese transnational families 1. Chinese Migration to Spain 2. The Ethnographic Journey PART II: CARE CIRCULATION IN QINGTIANESE TRANSNATIONAL FAMILIES Introduction: The Chinese family 3. Multi-generational Care Strategies 4. The Multi-dimensionality of Care 5. Settings of Family Solidarity and Reciprocity 6. Who Cares? PART III: CHILDREN'S LIFE PATHS IN QINGTIANESE TRANSNATIONAL FAMILIES Introduction 8. The Early Years 9. Growing Bodies and Growing Responsibilities 10. The Grown-ups Conclusions Epilogue: The Pandemic Times

Laura Lamas-Abraira is a Researcher at the Open University of Catalonia (UOC) and at the InterAsia research group (Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona). She has graduated in Social and Cultural Anthropology and holds an international PhD in Translation and Intercultural Studies. Her research interests include Chinese migration, family, care and interculturalism.