Marriage Unbound: State Law, Power, and Inequality in Contemporary China

Divorce in China has become a political matter, particularly in a national context where marriage has been a key vehicle for nation-state building. Marriage Unbound by Ke Li presents a stirring portrayal of how women seek judicial remedies for conjugal grievances and disputes and a uniquely in-depth account of the modern Chinese legal system. It reveals the struggles between the powerful and the powerless, the complex interplay between culture and the state, and insidious statecraft that sacrifices women's rights and interests.

Format: Hardback
Length: 344 pages
Publication date: 08 July 2022
Publisher: Stanford University Press

China has undergone significant transformations since Mao's era, encompassing massive rural-to-urban migration, rising divorce rates, and the steady expansion of the country's legal system. While divorce may initially appear as a private matter, it becomes profoundly political, particularly in a national context where marriage has been a crucial vehicle for nation-state building.

Marriage Unbound delves into the politics of divorce cases in contemporary China, following a group of women seeking judicial remedies for conjugal grievances and disputes. Drawing on extensive archival and ethnographic data, coupled with unprecedented access to rural Chinese courtrooms, Ke Li presents a captivating portrayal of how these women navigate divorce litigation and an in-depth account of the modern Chinese legal system. Through sensitive and fluid prose, Li unveils the struggles between the powerful and the powerless at the forefront of dispute management, the intricate interplay between culture and the state, and the insidious statecraft that often sacrifices women's rights and interests.

Ultimately, this book demonstrates how women's legal mobilization and rights contention can pave the way for new understandings of law, politics, and inequality in an authoritarian regime.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781503613140