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Why I Am Working in Wuhan, China, as my fieldsiteI have chosen Wuhan, China, as my fieldsite because of several reasons. Not only is Wuhan undergoing an intensive phase of urbanization, with its massive migrant population and advanced digital networks, it is poised to become the next national industrial hub. Emerging regions like Wuhan are known for being a more friendly and affordable place for migrant families because of its relaxed residency (hukou) policy. This is in contrast with larger cities such as Beijing and Shanghai that tend to have stricter enforcement of these same residency policies, which make it difficult for migrants to bring their child and spouse with them. As a migrant family-friendly city, we have an opportunity in Wuhan to learn about the specific set of social issues that migrant families encounter and the processes in which ICT are used to resolve or manage these issues. Wuhan also presents a different story then most of the current research on urban cities in China. Wuhan stood out to me because it did not appear to have many characteristics that have been documented in larger Chinese cities. I beleive this is because most research focuses on the "shock cities" of China's transition to a mixed-market economy. Much like how early research on American cities focused on the industrial era's horrors in cities such as Chicago and New York City, most of the contermporary urban research on Chinese cities focuses on the extreme and harrowing disparities of globalization in Shenzhen, Shanghai and other cities. There is something about Wuhan that makes me feel that it represents a more typical Chinese city. While Wuhan may not be as cosmopolitan as Shanghai, it isn't as harsh towards low-income Chinese citizens and in particular families as in Shanghai. I am much more interested at this point in my research in studying typical places rather than extraorindary places. (Perhaps that will change one day!)Committee MembersRichard Madsen, Chair, Sociology Christena Turner, SociologyApril Linton, SociologyBarry Brown, CommunicationBarry Naughton, Political ScienceJim Hollan, Cognitive ScienceI am guided and inspired by some of the most creative, intellectual and cool thinkers who happen to all be on my dissertation committee! My dissertation chair is Richard Madsen, one of the most prolific analysts of Chinese society. I work closely with Christena Turner, an amazing ethnographer who is an expert on Japan. I also study with April Lintonwho researches fair trade and globalization. I work closely with Barry Brown, an ethnomethodologist who examines new technologies for leisure and entertainment. Barry and I have worked on several grants together and he has been critical in supporting my academic direction towards CSCW and HCI. Barry Naughton is my other advisor from political science, who is a China expert. Jim Hollan from Cognitive Science is the most recent addition to my committee. He works seeks to understand the cognitive, computational, and social ecology of dynamic interactive adaptive media. Jim also works in the area of information visualization, which will become an important component in my final analysis. Since I started at UCSD, I have closely collaborated with my esteemed colleague, Leah Muse-Orlinoff. Isaac Martin has also been a critical figure even though he is not on my committee; hours of office conversations and qualifying exam guidance has been an immense help.
Why I Am Working in Wuhan, China, as my fieldsite
I have chosen Wuhan, China, as my fieldsite because of several reasons. Not only is Wuhan undergoing an intensive phase of urbanization, with its massive migrant population and advanced digital networks, it is poised to become the next national industrial hub. Emerging regions like Wuhan are known for being a more friendly and affordable place for migrant families because of its relaxed residency (hukou) policy. This is in contrast with larger cities such as Beijing and Shanghai that tend to have stricter enforcement of these same residency policies, which make it difficult for migrants to bring their child and spouse with them. As a migrant family-friendly city, we have an opportunity in Wuhan to learn about the specific set of social issues that migrant families encounter and the processes in which ICT are used to resolve or manage these issues.
Wuhan also presents a different story then most of the current research on urban cities in China. Wuhan stood out to me because it did not appear to have many characteristics that have been documented in larger Chinese cities. I beleive this is because most research focuses on the "shock cities" of China's transition to a mixed-market economy. Much like how early research on American cities focused on the industrial era's horrors in cities such as Chicago and New York City, most of the contermporary urban research on Chinese cities focuses on the extreme and harrowing disparities of globalization in Shenzhen, Shanghai and other cities. There is something about Wuhan that makes me feel that it represents a more typical Chinese city. While Wuhan may not be as cosmopolitan as Shanghai, it isn't as harsh towards low-income Chinese citizens and in particular families as in Shanghai. I am much more interested at this point in my research in studying typical places rather than extraorindary places. (Perhaps that will change one day!)
Committee Members
I am guided and inspired by some of the most creative, intellectual and cool thinkers who happen to all be on my dissertation committee! My dissertation chair is Richard Madsen, one of the most prolific analysts of Chinese society. I work closely with Christena Turner, an amazing ethnographer who is an expert on Japan. I also study with April Lintonwho researches fair trade and globalization. I work closely with Barry Brown, an ethnomethodologist who examines new technologies for leisure and entertainment. Barry and I have worked on several grants together and he has been critical in supporting my academic direction towards CSCW and HCI. Barry Naughton is my other advisor from political science, who is a China expert. Jim Hollan from Cognitive Science is the most recent addition to my committee. He works seeks to understand the cognitive, computational, and social ecology of dynamic interactive adaptive media. Jim also works in the area of information visualization, which will become an important component in my final analysis. Since I started at UCSD, I have closely collaborated with my esteemed colleague, Leah Muse-Orlinoff. Isaac Martin has also been a critical figure even though he is not on my committee; hours of office conversations and qualifying exam guidance has been an immense help.
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