China: The Basics

Anna L. Lora-Wainwright is Professor of the Human Geography of China at the University of Oxford. She has a PhD in Social and Cultural Anthropology from Oxford University; and an MA in Chinese Studies and a BA in Anthropology, both from the School of Oriental and African Studies, London. She is the author of two monographs on contemporary rural China and of numerous articles in the fields of social and medical anthropology, geography and environmental politics. Her current research focuses on evolving forms of morality and practices of care in China and among overseas Chinese.

• Introduction 1. China in the World 2. China’s Economic Miracle and Evolving Forms of Stratification 3. Many Shades of Urbanisation and the Revival of Rurality 4. Gender Inequality between Change and Continuity 5. Is There a Civil Society in China? 6. What Environmental Challenges? Whose Environmental Challenges? 7. Health, Illness and Healthcare Between Moral Experience and State Power Conclusion

"This concise book makes a wonderful introduction for students and others who are new to China and curious to learn more. Juggling themes such as state control versus individual agency, China’s global aspirations and its domestic challenges, it helps the reader understand and reflect at the same time. It is a much-needed contribution, very useful also for teachers in colleges and universities." — Mette Halskov Hansen, Professor of China Studies, University of Oslo