ABSTRACT

The research presented in this book explores care and its circulation in Chinese transnational families that are split between China and Spain, and the paths these families’ children have taken through their lives so far: from their early years to their current position as young adults, with care, in its multiple dimensions and timescales – past, present and future – as the unifying thread.

In doing so, it provides a contribution to the emerging body of research about care and transnational families and it posits the need to question hegemonic models of family, childhood and care, and to give voice and visibility to other actors, moving beyond the adult-centred perspective that dominates migration research.

The ethnographic approach together with the focus on the day-to-day lives of these families, in which care is the core concept, as it permeates people’s lives and traverses society generationally, makes this book appealing to both scholars and general public.

chapter |20 pages

Introduction

The whole and its parts

part I|19 pages

Research context

chapter Chapter 1|6 pages

Chinese migration to Spain

chapter Chapter 2|10 pages

The ethnographic journey

part II|65 pages

Care circulation in Qingtianese transnational families

chapter Chapter 3|18 pages

Multigenerational care strategies

chapter Chapter 4|15 pages

The multi-dimensionality of care

chapter Chapter 5|3 pages

Settings of family solidarity and reciprocity

chapter Chapter 6|9 pages

Who cares?

chapter Chapter 7|15 pages

Situated transnationalism

part III|62 pages

Children's life paths in Qingtianese transnational families

chapter Chapter 8|8 pages

The early years

chapter Chapter 9|24 pages

Growing responsibilities and growing differences

chapter Chapter 10|28 pages

The grown-ups

chapter |9 pages

Conclusions

chapter |5 pages

Epilogue

The pandemic times