Dreams of Flight: The Lives of Chinese Women Students in the West

Fran Martin's book Dreams of Flight explores how young Chinese women negotiate competing pressures on their identity while studying abroad, highlighting how emerging forms of gender, class, and mobility transform the basis of identity for a generation.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 368 pages
Publication date: 22 February 2022
Publisher: Duke University Press

In her captivating book, Dreams of Flight, Fran Martin delves into the intricate dynamics of young Chinese women as they navigate the multifaceted pressures surrounding their identity while pursuing higher education abroad. On the one hand, unmarried middle-class women from the single-child generations are actively encouraged to cultivate their professional human capital through international education, shaping themselves into independent, cosmopolitan, and career-driven individuals. However, on the other hand, the enduring influence of strong neotraditionalist state, social, and familial pressures from the post-Mao era exerts a powerful pull, pushing these women towards marriage and family by the age of thirty. Martin embarks on a profound exploration of these women's motivations for studying in Australia, unraveling the intricate tapestry of their embodied and emotional experiences in the urban landscape, the virtual realms of social media, the realm of low-skilled and professional jobs, the complexities of romantic relationships, their religious affiliations, their unwavering Chinese patriotism, and the transformative impact of their study abroad journey on their self-understanding. Through vivid storytelling and meticulous research, Martin vividly illustrates how emerging forms of gender, class, and mobility are reshaping the very foundations of identity for an entire generation of Chinese women. Dreams of Flight is a profound testament to the resilience, adaptability, and agency of these young individuals as they navigate the complex web of cultural, social, and personal forces shaping their lives.

Weight: 538g
Dimension: 152 x 228 x 25 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781478017615