Join the CMS Mobilities Research Group and UBC Asian Studies for “Why Do Chinese Women Seek Western Men? The Case of China’s Email-Order Brides” with Dr. Monica Liu.
Abstract
Based on 17 months of ethnographic research at three online dating agencies in southern China, this study explores the life histories and decision-making processes of predominantly middle-aged, divorced women from various socio-economic backgrounds as they seek marriage with Western men. It analyzes how China’s transition from state socialism to a global market economy drives these women’s desires for out-migration via marriage. By comparing women’s perspectives across different class backgrounds, the study reveals how their social positions and access to resources shape their visions of Western men. It highlights the need for an intersectional approach in migration studies amidst growing global diversification and polarization.
About Monica Liu
Dr. Monica Liu is a sociologist whose teaching and research interests include gender, globalization, family, immigration, race/ethnicity, Asia and Asian America, digital technology/media, and qualitative methods. She has explored the phenomenon of global internet dating and cross-border marriage between women from China and men from English-speaking Western countries. She is currently working on a new project that examines institutional racism against Asian women leaders in higher education.
This event is co-organized by the CMS Mobilities Research Group and the Department of Asian Studies at UBC.
Following the Talk
Join our invited speaker or a roundtable discussion on Wednesday, November 27, from 2:00 to 3:00 PM in ANSO 119. Dr. Liu, author of Seeking Western Men: Email-Order Brides under China’s Global Rise, will share her insights into professional development in academia. Topics may include turning dissertations into books with university presses, navigating academic job markets, and strategies for transnational qualitative research. This session offers a unique opportunity for students to ask questions and gain valuable guidance.
RSVP by emailing yue.qian@ubc.ca.