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'Soft Skills' in Contemporary China

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'Soft Skills' in Contemporary China CORE Metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk Provided by Sydney eScholarship The Affective Medium and Ideal Person in Pedagogies of 'Soft Skills' in Contemporary China Gil Hizi A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Anthropology School of Social and Political Sciences Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences The University of Sydney 2018 ii Declaration I hereby declare that this thesis has not been submitted in the past in substance for any degree, that it is the result of my own independent research, and that all authorities and sources consulted are acknowledged in the Bibliography. Gil Hizi iii Abstract In this dissertation I explore the role of affect in practices of self-improvement in contemporary urban China. I conducted participant observation in workshops for young adults in the city of Jinan, focusing on interpersonal ‘soft’ skills, such as ‘communication,’ ‘emotional expression,’ and public speaking. These highly interactive workshops urged participants to express themselves as emotional, assertive, inspirational, and above all – autonomous – individuals. This ideal of personhood is inspired by state-promoted reforms in the education system and the rise of psychotherapy across China, highlighting new moral imperatives of self-reliance and emotional well-being in the expanding Chinese market economy. My analysis focuses on the discrepancy between participants’ ideals of self-improvement, as practiced in workshops, and their wider social engagements. While participants conceived of soft skills as capacities that could potentially be employed anywhere, they nevertheless experienced and emphasised impediments to extending their practices outside workshops. They saw their everyday social circles as prioritising hierarchical relations, social roles, and financial stability, all suppressing the ideals of individual autonomy prominent in workshops. Drawing on theories of affect, hope, and the concept of ‘heterotopia,’ I describe how workshops dislocated participants from their existing social realities to produce momentary experiences of self-overcoming. Through affectively intensive exercises, participants identified with their ideal person, imagined themselves mastering social relations, and envisioned a future society governed by the virtues of soft skills. I consider affect, in these iv practices, not as a means for subjects’ comprehensive self-transformations, but rather as an experience that charges individuals with ephemeral optimism amidst socioeconomic uncertainties. In contemporary market-driven China, I argue, such deployment of affect is increasingly evident in educational activities, entertainment media, and state campaigns. These practices respond to and reinforce an existing schism between the expansion of new ideals of personhood and individuals’ limited capacities to realise them. v Acknowledgements Over the past four years I have relied on the generous assistance of numerous, perhaps too many, resourceful people. They did not only guide me but also expressed patience, faith, and encouragement even when I did little to deserve such support. I am certain that they are aware of my gratitude. Before mentioning living individuals, I must express my gratitude for The University of Sydney International Scholarship that sustained me for seven semesters, the Carlyle Greenwell Bequest Completion Scholarship for additional support, and the Carlyle Greenwell Bequest Postgraduate Research Fund for covering my fieldwork expenses. Further assistance from my faculty’s Postgraduate Research Support Scheme helped me to attend conferences in East Asia and the US. Terry Woronov, my supervisor, had been a tremendous anchor of guidance. Her investment of time and energy into my work kept me focused and in constant attention to the tasks that still awaited me. I am thankful for her commitment to teaching and theory, for encouraging me to communicate my message, as well as her sensitivity for every aspect of PhD life. Her alertness and expressive support made the difference in some of the crucial crossroads in my candidacy. Jadran Mimica, a fountain of knowledge and a thought- stimulating interlocutor, was of help to me at critical points in my writing. I am one of innumerable students who were deeply influenced by his non-compromising attitude towards anthropological scholarship. Yasmine Musharbash, my second associate supervisor, offered guidance that involved methodological discipline with a liberty (and imperative!) to vi bring out my own thinking and expressive style. Her approach was empirically and ethically (I had to use one last vague ‘ethical’ for you Yasmine) invaluable. The Department of Anthropology at The University of Sydney was a warm home for me as well as an island of intellectual passion and collegiality in a changing academic world. I am particularly thankful to Linda Connor, Neil Maclean, Ryan Schram, Ute Eickelkamp, Luis Angosto-Ferrández, Gaynor Macdonald, Ase Ottosson, Robbie Peters, and Gillian Cowlishaw, all whom accompanied me and my research with insights and curiosity. In the School of Social and Political Sciences, I wish thank Tirta Swari, Priya Shaw, James Young, Danka Ondriskova, and school chair Simon Tormey for offering me a smooth bureaucratic and financial sail throughout my degree. Academic assistance extended outside of The University of Sydney to scholars from around Sydney and beyond who offered their time to discuss my work. This long list includes Kalpana Ram, Zheng Yi, Megan Watkins, Tanya Jakimow, Chen Minglu, Martijn Konings, Andrew Kipnis, Sun Wanning, Kori Allan, Ling Minhua, Huang Hsuan-ying, Min Zhang, Amalia Sa’ar, Julia Lerner, and Inna Leykin. Andrew Kipnis, David Palmer, and Bonnie Urciuoli also offered me important feedback as discussants in conference panels that I convened. I am in debt to three university departments other than my current academic home, which contributed immensely to my work. The Department of Anthropology at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), where I studied for one semester, was my official baptism in anthropology. Teresa Kuan, Joseph Bosco, and Gordon Mathews were invaluable teachers early in my research. The school of anthropology at Shandong University was my host during my fieldwork. Brian Harmon and Chris Tan, my inviting scholars, were alert in solving bureaucratic challenges and in welcoming me to discuss my research with their insightful vii students. The Department of Asian Studies in Jerusalem is where I began to see myself as a researcher. I thank Rotem Geva and Orna Naftali for inviting me to return and present my work in late 2016. Since I carelessly did not write my acknowledgements in my Master’s Thesis, I take this opportunity to thank Orna for a dedicated and well-rounded supervision that single-handedly made the difference in terms of my ability to apply for a PhD, as well as to make the leap from area studies to anthropology. Classmates and colleagues were another consistent source of support and joy. Carolina Quesada’s endless advice, cooperation, and friendship made it feel like I had an extensive ‘cohort.’ Wang Bin was another colleague in Sydney with whom sharing my work was an intellectual pleasure. Members of the Sydney China Studies Student Society and of a writing group in Sydney were of additional help, as well as Tansel Guclu who accompanied me in long writing marathons. My colleagues from CUHK remained my interlocutors long after we departed: Rao Yichen, Fei Zhang, Elena Nichini, Allie Kwong, Katherine Cheung, Lynn Sun, and Ting Deng. Additional colleagues-friends who read and commented on my work are Sun Shengwei, Anir Altan, Ang Gui, Rhys Herden, Zhang Kai, Phil Le Couilliard, and Portia Spinks. The latter also proofread my entire dissertation. From colleagues to non-academic cornerstones. My friends, particularly my old friends from home, remained a source of comfort and support, while my family members always encouraged me along my path. My parents Raya and Amnon extended their support from Tel-Aviv to a visit to Jinan, offering the most palpable and participatory interest in my fieldwork, which also extended to every stage of my candidacy. Like them, my spouse Zeina reminded me time and again the priority of my project. Her actions expressed this far more strongly than any words could. viii My ‘informants’ and friends in Jinan (two inseparable categories of course) have opened their doors to me unconditionally. If the Arabic word ‘jinan’ – ‘paradises’ – could somehow merge with the Chinese name of the city (‘south of River Ji’), then it would surely reflect people before anything else in the scenery. I will not mention names of informants, and limit my thanks to Yang Liwei, Jiang Bin, and Ye Shaoyi for their invincible friendship and help. Zhao Wen and Liu Yuexiu’s headaches of assisting me to transcribe fieldwork recordings deserve both my thanks, and my apologies. After acknowledging those who assisted me in the language of scholarship and those who expressed the language of care, my final mention goes to those who guided me in the language of Mandarin Chinese, an elemental and non-trivial aspect of my work. Special thanks for my teachers Zhang Li and Noga Zhang-Shahar from Tel-Aviv University, Lin Qian from Jerusalem, teacher Wei from the Beijing Language and Culture University, Bi Lei from Shandong Normal University and my enduring tutor Tao Lumin. Through their teaching, I hope that I have conveyed the words, thoughts, and
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