Centre for Women's Studies
Huawen Cui
PhD student
Profile
Biography
In 2012 I graduated from Liaoning Normal University, China with a BA in Journalism. In 2017 I completed my MA in Media Industries at the University of Leeds. In the MA studies, I focused on the using conditions of social media users in China and western as well. There is one course in the MA study period called ‘feminism, media, and identity’ which inspired me to research a heated topic about women-only subway carriages on Chinese social media ‘Microblog’.
In January 2018, I start my new research journey in Women’s Studies at CWS, the University of York but use my existing knowledge of media to explore the research on ‘Women-only Subway Carriages in China’. Up to now, I just finished the first-year progression and now proceed the next period study.
Research
Overview
My research aim is to rethink the role and significance of the establishment of women's subway carriages through researching the background and status of the carriages in China, the reasons why they were established. Due to the establishment of women's subway carriages are currently being only established in Guangdong Province, China, so the research questions that will need to be with an investigation of local historical and cultural background of this region of China, they are: What are the ideological, political and social reasons behind the establishment of women-only carriages in my chosen area in China? What are women’s (or men’s) gendered experiences and diverse attitudes to women-only carriages? What does a qualitative study of women-only carriages reveal about how gender is constructed in a specific special context, sexual harassment and everyday femininity?
Although scholars have researched this phenomenon in some countries which have women's carriages, the number of related projects is still limited. In particular, it is only two years since women-only carriages established in China. Up to now, there are no scholars who have explored this case in China, so this area is still in an early stage. As one of the most important locations in China, on research this topic in Guangdong province and its cultural and historical contexts of patriarchal concepts of gender and sexuality are of great significance for exploring everyday constructions of gender and space. Therefore, in the following study, I will also draw on the results of my previous literature research and explore the gaps in this field.
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