Suspended

Name: Suspended
ISBN: 9787559854773

严飞Guangxi Normal University Press · ChinaNov 2022

4.2

Word count: 133K words
Chapters: 49
ISBN: 9787559854773

Report an error Find this book

Summary

Sociologist Yan Fei of Tsinghua University takes "the nearby" as his research framework. Through eight typical cases, he documents the lived reality of rural migrant workers, interweaving a scholar's analysis and reflection to paint a picture of a "suspended society." The interviewees—neighborhood security guard A Wei, market vendor Sister Hongqin, utility worker Xiao Fu, domestic worker Xiao Ping, and others—are ordinary people who live near the author, microcosms of the many "strangers next door" in our daily lives. The author argues that attending to the small world around us, to the vast but rarely heard migrant worker population, and to the present "suspended" state in which rupture and longing coexist, are all vital questions sociologists wish to explore with readers.

Editor's review

This book turns the sociological gaze back to the "nearby," taking ordinary workers—security guards, market vendors, utility workers, domestic helpers—as its subjects and using eight typical cases to document the living conditions of migrant workers in the city. Rather than turning field material into cold statistics, author Yan Fei interweaves analysis into truthful narration, grounding the concept of "suspension" in concrete people and relationships. Its value lies in reminding readers that those familiar yet rarely closely observed strangers around us are precisely the entry point for understanding the fractures and longings of contemporary society. Readers gain both a sociological observational framework and the emotional touch of individual stories' details. Suitable for readers willing to read slowly and curious about urban life and class issues, and also as a nonfiction reader for discussing the world around us.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Nonfiction readers concerned with urban society and migrant workers
General readers who want to reobserve daily life through a sociological lens
Students and teachers in sociology, journalism and communication, and related fields
Readers who enjoy combining case narratives with academic analysis and are willing to read slowly

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting strong plots and fast-paced stories
Readers who only want pure theoretical overviews and dislike case details
Readers uninterested in issues of urban grassroots workers

Reading tips

After finishing each case, first recall the corresponding "nearby" figures in your own life, then move on to the author's analysis.
Treat "suspension" as a question running through the whole book rather than a concept to be concluded hastily, and record your doubts as you read.
Read alongside urban community observation or everyday interview exercises, transferring the book's perspective to your own surroundings.
You need not finish it in one sitting; read case by case with room to digest, which better helps you understand the relationship between analysis and narrative.

About the publisher

Guangxi Normal University Press China · Founded in 1986

Guangxi Normal University Press is a publisher known for literature, foreign literature and history titles. Its 1,175 books in the database show a solid accumulation in classics and prose collections, including foreign literary works such as Les Fleurs du mal: Annotated Poems of Baudelaire, Snow Country, Dubliners and The Wild Palms, as well as modern prose compilations like The Complete Prose of Zhou Zuoren. History and philosophy also hold a notable share, with titles such as Running Dogs: Clerks and Runners in Qing County Yamen and The History and Thought of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom reflecting attention to Qing local administration and modern history. In art literature there is the 16-volume Ten Bamboo Studio Painting and Calligraphy Manual. Its author resources include foreign writers Charles Baudelaire and Yasunari Kawabata, translators and annotators Liu Nanqi and Zou Bo, and scholars such as Zhong Shuhe, Bradly W. Reed and You Chenjun. As public information is limited, this characterization is based only on the books in the database, which together present a profile balancing Chinese and foreign literary classics with academic works in the humanities and social sciences.

版权信息
前言附近的小世界
第一章都市里的陌生人
城市旅居者
从奔赴到离开
零工潮流
大地上的群像
第三代农民工
悬浮的时代
第二章文学课
地图上的距离
学做工
异乡人
白孔雀
月亮与六便士
底层能发声吗
微弱的火
城边的野草
第三章菜市场
结痂的文身
谁是红芹姐
镜头里的摆摊人
消失的菜市场
流动的教育
浮城梦
第四章手艺活
北京人
木工和木匠
模糊的怅望
2000多个日夜
横平竖直
心是无价的
马桥青年
第五章岔路口
宇宙中心
经纪人
永远都是“北漂”
做“阿姨”
一场意外
同一屋檐下
她们
第六章爬出洞穴：来自田野的反思
大海里的浪花
为什么要选择这些故事：真实的附近
如何描绘具体的人：抒情与深描
为什么要描绘他们的历史和未来：田野中的历史社会学
爬出洞穴，把裤子的屁股部分弄脏
研究者是否可能真正表达底层？
尾声与项飙对话：附近，一个社会学视角

FAQ

What does "suspension" mean in the book?

According to the materials, the author uses "suspension" to summarize the state of migrant workers in which fracture and longing coexist in the present, and develops it with "nearby" as the research framework. It is not a single conclusion but an observational perspective running through the eight cases; readers can understand it through the specific personal stories.

Is this book a purely academic work?

Not entirely. The author is a sociologist at Tsinghua University, and the book does contain sociological analysis and reflection, but its main body is the true record of eight typical cases, with subjects including security guards, vendors, utility workers, and domestic helpers. For general readers, the cases are quite readable, while the theoretical parts provide an interpretive framework.

Are the people in the book people the author knows?

The materials show that the interviewees are ordinary people living "nearby" the author, microcosms of the "strangers around us" in daily life. In other words, the author records and analyzes starting from his own surrounding relationships, rather than offering a vague description of distant groups.

Is it suitable as discussion material for a book club?

Fairly suitable. The eight cases are independent yet share the framework of "nearby" and "suspension," making it easy for members to discuss in light of their own urban experience. You can select one or two cases per session, sharing observations before discussing the analysis, so as not to remain merely at the story level.

Comments

Find this book

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

严飞 Author

Yan Fei is a Chinese book author. Public information about him is limited, and details such as his nationality and dates of birth and death have not been confirmed. Four of his works are included in the collection, spanning social culture, social science, inspirational growth, and software learning, which suggests that he writes for a range of readerships. In the area of social culture, works such as Suspended, Penetrating: Thinking Like a Sociologist, and The World as a Reference Answer attempt to observe everyday experience and public issues through a sociological lens, with an emphasis on conceptual illumination and critical thinking in the style of general-interest writing. In software learning, Photoshop CC New Media Graphic and Image Design and Production (Full-Color MOOC Edition) reflects his ability to write practical skills-based content. Overall, his works strike a balance between accessible presentation and a professional perspective, suiting general readers interested in social issues and software operation.