Informal Surrogacy in China: Embodiment and Biopower

被引:9
作者
Yang, Jie [1 ]
机构
[1] Simon Fraser Univ, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6, Canada
关键词
biopower; body; China; embodiment; gender; kinship; surrogacy; BODY;
D O I
10.1177/1357034X14539357
中图分类号
C91 [社会学];
学科分类号
030301 ; 1204 ;
摘要
Rather than being a form of explicitly commodified reproduction, informal surrogacy is practiced (and interpreted) in a working-class community in Beijing as part of local affective life, viewed in terms of gifting, favors, filial piety, and family concerns. Through this practice a particular form of biopower, articulated in affective terms, limits some women to serving as instruments of reproduction. Unlike the common western assumption of a physical body as separate from the experiencing subject, the Chinese body has a subjective, experiential dimension. This subjective body harbors an agency with the potential to transform the power exercised on it and to impact the circumstances of the surrogate's life. I contextualize such agency in the analysis of the ambivalence of these women toward surrogacy and the violence of local kinship systems. Through analyzing how surrogates use their bodies to transform codes, forces and reform the self, the article suggests that informal surrogacy interacts and shapes local affective and political economies.
引用
收藏
页码:90 / 117
页数:28
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