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Producing Scientific Motherhood: State-led Neoliberal Modernization and Nannies' Subjectivity in Contemporary China

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 May 2022

Yihui Su  and
Anni Ni
Yihui Su*
Affiliation:
Department of Sociology, College of Humanities, Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, Shanghai, China.
Anni Ni
Affiliation:
Gender Institute, London School of Economics and Political Science, London, UK. Email: [email protected].
*
Email: [email protected] (corresponding author).
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Abstract

This paper uses the perspective of “state-led neoliberal modernization” to explore the collusion of the state and the market in the construction of scientific motherhood and its effect on rural nannies in China. It claims that the state and the market work together to shape rural nannies’ modern subjectivity in the neoliberal economy through the commercial training programme of scientific motherhood. Based on a case study in Shanghai, this paper argues that the training for scientific motherhood attempts to transform rural women into modern care workers through two mechanisms: reconstructing recognition and mobilizing emotion. Rather than passively receiving the training, nannies use their agency to adjust the knowledge and practice of scientific motherhood to suit their complicated working situation. Their strategies include deploying scientific knowledge flexibly and instrumentally, practising self-restraint in limited intimacy, and paying attention to their own familial investment.

摘要

摘要

本文使用“国家引领下的新自由主义现代化”来探索国家和市场在建构科学母职中的角色，以及对农村保姆的影响。本文认为通过商业化的科学母职培训，国家和市场共同塑造了来自农村的保姆的现代化主体。通过上海一家家政公司的田野调查发现，商业化的科学母职培训通过两个机制——重建认知和动员感情——将农村女性转化为现代化的照料劳动者。本文还发现，这些保姆并不是被动接受培训的客体，而是能通过自己的能动性对科学母职的知识和实践进行调试，从而适应复杂多元的工作环境。她们使用的策略包括：工具和灵活地使用科学知识，将自己克制在有限的亲密关系中，以及对自己的家庭进行投资。

Keywords

scientific motherhoodneoliberalismmodernizationgenderagencyChina科学母职新自由主义现代化性别能动性；中国
Type
Research Article
Information
The China Quarterly , Volume 250 , June 2022 , pp. 531 - 551
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Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of SOAS University of London

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