Navigating the Aspirational City

Lorin G. Yochim, Ph.D. (2014), University of Alberta, is Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Education, Concordia University of Edmonton, Canada. He has published a number of articles focussed on the educational culture of contemporary China.

• PrefaceList of Figures and TablesChapter 1: Scoping Chinese Educational CultureResearch Problem & QuestionsThird-Tier City, First World ProblemsAn Urban Educational Culture of Familial AspirationEducation, Family, City, CultureConceptualizing Educational CultureOrganization of the BookChapter 2: The Heavy Burden of RevolutionJianfu: Lightening the Heavy BurdenJianfu in the Early Revolutionary PeriodJianfu in the Great Proletarian Cultural RevolutionChapter 3: The “Reform” Era & the Emergence of the Aspirational CitéThe Emergence of the Aspirational CitéJianfu: A Flexible PolicyChapter 4: Building an Aspirational CityTangible Effects of RenovationEducational Institutions for the Aspirational CityChapter 5: Educating Children in the Aspirational CityThe ParentsBeliefs and Activities of Middle-Class Urban ParentsChapter 6: Making One’s Way through the Field of Urban Educational CultureNegotiating & Navigating: The Logic of China’s Urban Educational CultureJianfu ReconsideredNegotiating & Navigating Educational CultureThe Aspirational Family?Chapter 7: Urban Educational Culture RevisitedRenovation and Desire in 2017Appendix A: Methodological Preliminaries and SpecificationsAppendix B: Documents Used in Corpus AnalysisReferencesIndex

“This book makes an important contribution to discussions of educational, social, cultural and economic developments in China. Dr. Yochim is a superb writer and extraordinary scholar who brings advanced understandings grounded in his own intimate engagements with China, his prowess with Chinese culture and language, ethnographic research skills and his ability to apply various lenses (especially Bourdieu, Archer & Harvey) to developments in China over the last 50 years.” – Robert Tierney, University of British Columbia / Beijing Normal University / The University of Sydney“This book is a fascinating read, and illuminates many aspects of my life in China that I was only partially aware of. Dr. Yochim has a unique insight into cultural matters of parenting in China, and he can help outsiders to have a balanced view of what are often contentious issues.” – David Turner, Beijing Normal University