ABSTRACT

This chapter explores key moments in the emergence of the urban' as both empirical field site and as research methodology in the anthropology of China. It addresses the necessary relationship that exists between Chinese socio-political modernization in the post-Mao open and reform period, the western anthropology's changing relationship with, and attitude to, other cultures and increasing methodological interdisciplinarity and experimentation. The chapter defines the issues of ethics and politics of the anthropological research enterprise in a globalizing, increasingly interconnected world. It presents reflections on my ongoing research into a distinctively modern urban minority, namely that of same-sex sexual cultures and identities. The chapter demonstrates the anthropological trademark of participant observation remains a crucial component of urban anthropology, amidst a re-conceptualization of what it means to be a participant observer and to conduct participant observation in cities, such as China's capital city Beijing.