In-Person Panel PS3.6

Spatial Dynamics of Care and Sociality in Asian Transnational Contexts

Singles, Solitude and Sociality in COVID-time Japan

Laura Dales 

Loneliness was identified as a global issue of concern well before the COVID-19 pandemic. In Japan the term “muen shakai” – the relation-less society – was first popularised in 2010, and glosses a host of social phenomena, from loneliness to kodokushi, cases of the elderly dying alone (Allison 2013).

Proximate, Mobile, and Digital Care: Chinese Older People Grandparenting Across Distance within China and Overseas

Catriona Stevens, Rachel Murphy, Yu Huang, Loretta Baldassar

Like grandparents everywhere, grandparents in Chinese migrant families often provide childcare and other forms of domestic labour to support the workforce participation of their adult children, to fulfil intergenerational care obligations, and to perform social and familial roles that may be important to their own self-identification. Grandparents may also receive care as they age, particularly under traditional models of co-habitation and filial care. However, the migration of family members, both within China and across international borders to overseas destinations, transforms practices and repertoires of inter- and cross-generational care. The paper juxtaposes the experiences of grandparents who provide care for their grandchildren in two broad types of migrant families: (1) families where some members have migrated from the Chinese countryside to larger cities and (2) families where some members have migrated from China to Australia. Despite the differences of family circumstances and resources, and the great difference in the geographies of their migration, the older generations in these families all demonstrate remarkably similar repertoires of caregiving articulated with reference to similar cultural scripts. We argue that proximate, mobile, and digital care occur within the context of intergenerational caregiving that is increasingly characterized by asymmetries whereby grandparents must make significant sacrifices and provide far more care than they receive.

The Healthy Ageing "Body": The Embodied Experiences of Health Management among Older Korean and Chinese Migrants Living in Australia

Shu Zhu

This presentation examines the social functions of health among older Korean and Chinese migrants living in Perth, Australia. It also examines how these participants utilise a diverse range of health-related practices, such as diet and exercises, to meet their own health expectations. The participants’ illustrated a similar strong “will to health” (Higgs et al., 2009, p. 687). For them, the physical and social realities of ageing, such as decreasing physical functionality and capabilities, and an ageing appearance which was seen to fall short of the mainstream beauty ideal in the consumerist Australian and Korean/ Chinese social contexts, all reduce their physical capital and result in fewer opportunities in their struggle for social recourses, or to use Bourdieu’s (1984) term, social distinction. Their habitual bodies have been transformed into bodies that demand a high level of attention and are presented with increasing vulnerabilities and challenges, triggering a new set of actions and behaviours to accommodate their needs better. Therefore, for the participants, good health and a healthy appearance have particular social meanings attached to them, which are shaped by their class, gender, and migrant identity.

Asians’ Well-being in Aotearoa During Covid-19: The Mitigating Role of Belonging in the Relationship Between Racism and Life Satisfaction 

Lynne Soon-Chean Park 

This presentation investigates the impact of anti-Asian racism on the well-being of Asian New Zealanders during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly examining if a sense of belonging mitigates its adverse effects on life satisfaction. Utilizing data from a 2021 cross-sectional online survey with 1341 responses, the study employs descriptive analyses and linear regression to explore the relationship between experienced racism, sense of belonging, and life satisfaction. 

Findings indicate that 40% of participants faced racism in the pandemic's initial 18 months, correlating with a slight decrease in life satisfaction since January 2020. The study reveals that various aspects of a sense of belonging, especially expressing ethnic identity and belonging in Aotearoa, lessen the negative impact of racism on life satisfaction. 

This research offers vital empirical evidence on the protective role of a sense of belonging in the face of pervasive anti-Asian racism. While focused on Asian communities in Aotearoa New Zealand, the study's insights are valuable for other minoritized ethnic groups experiencing racism, contributing to broader societal understanding and intervention strategies during and beyond the pandemic.