{"product_id":"dancing-for-their-lives-the-pursuit-of-meaningful-aging-in-urban-china-paperback-softback-9781978838871","title":"Dancing for Their Lives; The Pursuit of Meaningful Aging in Urban China (Paperback \/ softback) 9781978838871","description":"\u003cfont face=\"Georgia\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"6\"\u003eDancing for Their Lives\u003c\/font\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\r\n\u003cfont size=\"5\"\u003eThe Pursuit of Meaningful Aging in Urban China\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"4\"\u003eClaudia Huang (Author)\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e9781978838871\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003ePaperback \/ softback, published 11 February 2025\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e152 pages, 8 B-W photographs\u003cbr\u003e22.9 x 15.2 x 1.3 cm, 0.254 kg\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e\"\u003ci\u003eDancing for Their Lives\u003c\/i\u003e is a vivid and enchantingly resonant ethnography of how older women in Western China create purposeful aging through collective performance and engagement. A fascinating story of social and cultural production in today’s China. A real achievement, not just for China studies but for global aging as well!\" - Arthur Kleinman (Esther and Sidney Rabb Professor of Anthropology and director of the Social Technology for Global Ag) \"\u003ci\u003eDancing for Their Lives\u003c\/i\u003e is a gracefully written ethnography that is as readable as it is illuminating. Looking well beyond the spectacle of dancing \u003ci\u003edama \u003c\/i\u003ewith their colorful costumes and props, Huang strikes a skillful balance between examining the phenomenon’s conditions of possibility and attending to what is most at stake for her interlocuters, exemplifying anthropological holism at its best.\" - Teresa Kuan (author of Love's Uncertainty: The Politics and Ethics of Child Rearing in Contemporary China)\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eDancing for Their Lives \u003c\/i\u003eexplores the vibrant world of retired Chinese women known as \"dancing grannies” who seek fulfillment and companionship amidst societal upheaval. These women, part of China’s “lost generation,” gather in parks and public squares to reclaim their lives through dance in the wake of Chinese economic and cultural transformations. The book challenges prevailing narratives of aging societies, portraying old age as a site of social innovation rather than decline. Based on ethnographic research conducted in Chengdu, China, \u003ci\u003eDancing for Their Lives\u003c\/i\u003e reveals how retirees learn to navigate shifting social norms and values while actively creating new models for growing older. The book’s insights resonate beyond Chinese society, offering lessons on resilience and the pursuit of meaning in any aging population. \u003ci\u003eDancing for Their Lives\u003c\/i\u003e underscores the human capacity to craft purposeful lives amid uncertainty, transcending geographical boundaries to illuminate the universal quest for fulfillment in later years.\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003ePreface and Acknowledgements \u003cbr\u003e Introduction: The Age of Uncertainty\u003cbr\u003e 1 Dancing for their Lives\u003cbr\u003e 2 \u003ci\u003eDama \u003c\/i\u003eMania                  \u003cbr\u003e 3 Families under (Peer) Pressure\u003cbr\u003e 4 Play a Day, Count a Day         \u003cbr\u003e 5 The Flavor of Living    \u003cbr\u003e Conclusion                            \u003cbr\u003e References\u003cbr\u003e Index\u003cbr\u003e  \u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003c\/font\u003e","brand":"Rutgers University Press","offers":[{"title":"Brand New","offer_id":52640484589848,"sku":"9781978838871","price":21.56,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"url":"https:\/\/freshlyprintedbooks.co.uk\/products\/dancing-for-their-lives-the-pursuit-of-meaningful-aging-in-urban-china-paperback-softback-9781978838871","provider":"Freshly Printed Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}