Strangers in the City: Reconfigurations of Space, Power, and Social Networks Within China's Floating Population
Zhang (anthropology, Univ. of California, Davis)has reworked her  dissertation into a readable though still scholarly study of  China's "floating population," i.e., the one million peasants  from Chinese rural areas who have "floated" into urban areas to  form a workforce that has changed the dynamics of Chinese  society, commerce, and power relations. Arguing that such  changes symbolize post-Mao China's move toward democracy, Zhang  centers her study around the largest migrant community who moved  to Beijing from rural Wenzhou, establishing themselves in 48  large compounds. She explores the ways their leaders build power  bases by controlling the market space and carefully details the  many challenges they face, such as discrimination, crime, and  governmental harassment. Background on China's system of  household registry and some knowledge about migration within the  country are needed to understand this study fully. Most suitable  for academic libraries. Kitty Chen Dean, Nassau Community Coll.,  Garden City, NYCopyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.