Living with Separation in China: Anthropological Accounts

Chinese idioms and practices of separation and reunion are relevant to the experiences of ordinary people in many social domains, ranging from gender and kinship, to religion and the politics of ethnic identity. The contributors focus on a number of distinct yet closely interrelated case studies including: * separation laments sung by women at marriages and funerals * popular stories about gods who must leave their families in order to achieve 'recognition' * attempts of the ghostly dead to make connection with the living * dislocations from ancestral lands caused by dam-building projects * the role of pilgramage in the construction of identity among Chinese Muslims In addressing - through these case studies - the central theme of seperation, this book also provides a good general introduction to many of the classic debates within anthropological and historical analyses of China. It will. therefore, prove an interesting and useful resource to students of Asian studies and anthropology as well as to the general reader with an interest in the Chinese cultural tradition. Stephan Feuchtwang, London School of Economics, UK; Raymond Firth (deceased); Maris Gillette, Haverford College, USA; Elizabeth Lominska Johnson, University of British Columbia, Canada; Ji