At Home with Density

265 Pages·2003·30.053 MB·English

by  Nuala Rooney

Culture and Society
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A new series on socio-economic and cultural changes m Hong Kong
HONG KONG CULTURE AND SOCIETY
Series Editors
Tai-lok LUI Department of Sociology,
The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Gerard A. POSTIGLIONE Department of Education,
The University of Hong Kong
Panel of Advisors
Ambrose KING The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Alvin SO The Hong Kong University of Science
and Technology
Siu-lun WONG The University of Hong Kong
Other titles in the series
The Dynamics of Social Movements in Hong Kong
edited by Stephen Wing-kai Chiu and Tai-lok Lui
Consuming Hong Kong
edited by Gordon Matthews and Tai-lok Lui
Changing Church and State Relations in Hong Kong, 1950-2000
Beatrice Leung and Shun-hing Chan
Toward Critical Patriotism: Student Resistance to Political Education
in Hong Kong and China
Gregory F. Fairbrother
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HONG KONG UNIVERSITY PRESS
Hong Kong University Press
14/F Hing Wai Centre
7 Tin Wan Praya Road
Aberdeen
Hong Kong
© Hong Kong University Press 2003
ISBN 962 209 601 8 (Hardback)
ISBN 962 209 602 6 (Paperback)
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be
reproduced or transmitted, in any form or by any means,
electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording,
or any information storage or retrieval system, without prior
permission in writing from the publisher.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available
from the British Library.
Secure On-line Ordering
http: //www. hkupress. org
Printed and bound by Colorprint Production Co. Ltd. in Hong Kong, China
To My Parents

CONTENTS
Series Foreword IX
Preface XI
Acknowledgements XV
Introduction: 'This Is Hong Kong' 1
1 Sensibilities of Space 11
2 Hong Kong Habitus 49
3 Speaking of Process 69
4 Spatial Concepts 83
5 'We Are Chinese' 117
6 Living at Home 133
7 Consumption 145
8 Home Matters 167
Conclusion 193
Notes 201
References 225
Index 241

SERIES FOREWORD
Most past research on Hong Kong has been generally aimed to inform
a diverse audience about the place and its people. Beginning in the
1950s, the aim of scholars and journalists who came to Hong Kong
was to study China, which had not yet opened its doors to fieldwork
by outsiders. Accordingly, the relevance of Hong Kong was limited
to its status as a society adjacent to mainland China. After the opening
of China, research on Hong Kong shifted focus towards colonial
legitimacy and the return of sovereignty. Thus, the disciplined study
of Hong Kong was hindered for almost half a century, and the richness
of a society undergoing dramatic economic, social and political change
within the contemporary world was not sufficiently emphasized.
The unfolding of culture and society in Hong Kong is no longer
confined by the 1997 question. New changes are shaped by local
history as much as by the China factor. Rather than being an isolated
entity, Hong Kong is an outcome of interaction among local history,
national context, and global linkages. An understanding of the future
development of Hong Kong requires sensitivity to this contextual
complexity.
The volumes in this series are committed to making Hong Kong
studies address key issues and debates in the social sciences. Each
volume situates Hong Kong culture and society within contemporary
theoretical discourse. Behind the descriptions of social and cultural
life is a conceptual dialogue between local agenda, regional issues,
and global concerns.