(in-person only, 6 sessions)

Instructor: Chris Lupke, Professor, Faculty of Arts – East Asian Studies Dept, University of Alberta

Light Breakfast included

Families: we all have them. Some are great. Some are not. Family relationships seem like they would be part of a universal theme in literature and cinema. But in this seminar, as we will see, in Chinese culture the family takes on a preeminent role that makes all notions of individual identity subservient to it. Family, kinship, and intergenerational relations in Chinese society have been crucial topics for over three centuries. The modern era in China has seen a complete breakdown and reconstruction of what a family is. In less than 150 years, we have seen Chinese families change from complex, intertwined, webs of humans to nuclear structures separate from each other. Literature and film are wonderful examples of how this massive social phenomenon has unfolded in modern times.