On June 19, at 14h30 (GMT+1), the Meeting on Studies on China will take place with the theme “Biopolitical influences from afar: Beauty practices among young Chinese women in Portugal”.
Speaker
Isabel Pires – ICS-ULisboa
Discussant
Frederico Duarte Vidal – CCCM/FCT
The session will take place online via Zoom: https://videoconf-colibri.zoom.us/j/99752717779
Meeting ID: 997 5271 7779 | Password: 621764
Abstact
“Women’s bodies, historically confronted with societal pressures, now find themselves in the domain of a globalized “biopolitics of beauty” (Jarrín 2017). In the Chinese context, however, they also engender a new “aesthetic governance” (Yang 2011). Linked to the embodiment of prevailing social constructs, such as “modernity” or “progress”, a component of a broader moral and civilizational dimension is intricately intertwined with power dynamics, both on a national and family scale. As little is known about this intersection with diasporic communities, and based on my doctoral research, in this presentation I will explore the bodily experiences of young Chinese women born or raised in Portugal. Using ethnographic methodology and through the lenses of beauty practices, I’ll unveil affects, expectations and regulations, and how the interplay among biopolitical influences, beauty norms, and societal acceptance norms takes place in their everyday life.”
The China Studies Meetings are a series of seminars organized by CEI-Iscte and CIES-Iscte, run by researchers Cátia Miriam Costa and Sofia Gaspar.