article

The cultural construction of emotion in rural Chinese social life

Ethos16 (2)Published In 1988 • Pages: 181-208

By: Potter, Sulamith Heins.

Abstract
This is a study of Chinese emotions, specifically their meaning in social settings. The main argument regards Chinese emotional life as disassociated from social life. Public expressions of anger, sadness, or even joy lack social importance. Rather they are considered idiosyncratic "outbursts" that for the most part can be ignored. The discussion draws on closer examination of emotions as expressed in various familial, marital, and political settings and finds that close social relationships are affirmed through acts of work rather than expressions of love and emotion.
Subjects
Drives and emotions
Mutual aid
Basis of marriage
Family relationships
Ethnopsychology
Ethnosociology
culture
Han Chinese
Region
Asia
Sub Region
East Asia
Document Type
article
Evaluation
Creator Type
Ethnologist
Document Rating
4: Excellent Secondary Data
5: Excellent Primary Data
Analyst
Ian Skoggard; 2021
Field Date
not specified
Coverage Date
not specified
Coverage Place
People's Republic of China
Notes
Sulamith Heins Potter
Includes bibliographical references (p. 207-208)
LCCN
730643517
LCSH
China--Social life and customs