Cited by 24Youth Culture and Social DynamicsYouth Education and Societal DynamicsChina's Socioeconomic Reforms and Governance

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Confucian or Communist, Post‐Mao or Postmodern? Exploring the Narrative Identity Resources of Shanghai's Post‐80s Generation

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Sabet, Denise·2011·Symbolic Interaction

Abstract

Thirty years after the post‐Mao reforms, twenty years after the Tiananmen Square demonstrations, the next generation of “comrades” is emerging in China. They are called the Balinghou, or the “Post‐80s” generation, referring to the cohort born between 1980 and 1989. This article is taken from a broader study on the narrative resources that Shanghai's Post‐80s young adults call on to construct their identities, given the historical situation in which they live. Symbolic interactionism is useful for studying identity construction processes across cultural contexts, particularly in China where interactionist concepts have seen limited application to date. The discussion also explores the theoretical implications of structural elements that significantly alter the resources available for identity construction, such as the One Child Policy.

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Cited by

Metadata

Authors
Sabet, D.
Affiliations
Royal Roads University (CA)
Corresponding author
Sabet, Denise
Venue
Symbolic Interaction
Publisher
Wiley
Published
2011-09
Volume
34
Issue
4
Pages
536-551
ISSN
  • 0195-6086 (ISSN-L)
  • 1533-8665
OpenAlex
W2135862889
Cited by
24
References
0
Citations by year
2026: 1 · 2025: 2 · 2023: 1 · 2021: 1 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 2 · 2016: 1 · 2014: 3
FWCI
4.29
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Symbolic Interaction (publishedVersion)
  • VIUSpace (Vancouver Island University Library) (submittedVersion)
  • Library and Archives Canada (Government of Canada) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Youth Culture and Social Dynamics
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Youth Education and Societal Dynamics
  • Social Sciences › Political Science and International Relations › China's Socioeconomic Reforms and Governance
Keywords
post-80s generation, identity construction, narrative identity, Shanghai, post-Mao China, Tiananmen Square protests, one-child policy, symbolic interactionism, young adults, Chinese youth, postmodernism, Confucianism, communism

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