Chris K. K. Tan

What are the intimate aspirations and everyday romantic lives of those who sustain China’s ‘world factory’? This book explores how digital dating platforms are reshaping relationships, partner selection and marriage among rural-to-urban migrant workers — a demographic that is often overlooked in studies of digital life. Drawing on thirteen months of ethnographic fieldwork in Pearl River Delta factory towns, the study follows 62 migrant workers as they navigate love, desire and social expectations. It reveals how online dating creates new possibilities while also reinforcing existing inequalities. Platform features influence how users present themselves and form connections; however, family expectations, class divisions and gender norms still structure romantic choices. To explain this dynamic, the book introduces the concept of 'digital capital' to illustrate how familiarity with platforms and communication styles can improve relationship prospects, while remaining unevenly distributed. Conducted roughly a decade ago, when platformisation was still in its early stages, the stories in this book now often feel strikingly romantic compared to the increasingly gentrified landscape of contemporary digital dating. This book will interest scholars and students of sociology, anthropology, digital media studies and gender studies, particularly those examining digital intimacy, social inequality, migration and contemporary Chinese society. It will also speak to readers who enjoy non-fiction love stories.

This book details queer Singaporeans’ efforts to fashion their sense of national belonging and highlights how the Singaporean state could have better incorporated its diverse population into its nation-building framework. Inspired by previous studies that document the history of the gay rights movement, the construction of post-colonial lesbian identities, and online queer activism, this book invokes the concept of "cultural citizenship." It argues that as citizens, gay men appreciate the material wealth the People’s Action Party (PAP) has created. Yet, the PAP’s illiberal governance inhibits the development of genuine fondness for the party and, by extension, the nation. Worse, the state’s heteronormative social policies further alienate these men. Even so, queer Singaporeans continue to assert their national belonging during Pink Dot and other queer events. As the first monograph to focus on Singaporean gay men, this book aims to enrich scholarly understanding of queer life in Southeast Asia. Academics and students of anthropology and sociology (especially those interested in the nation-state), Southeast Asian Studies, and Queer Studies will find this book innovative and insightful.

This book details queer Singaporeans’ efforts to fashion their sense of national belonging and highlights how the Singaporean state could have better incorporated its diverse population into its nation-building framework. Inspired by previous studies that document the history of the gay rights movement, the construction of post-colonial lesbian identities, and online queer activism, this book invokes the concept of "cultural citizenship." It argues that as citizens, gay men appreciate the material wealth the People’s Action Party (PAP) has created. Yet, the PAP’s illiberal governance inhibits the development of genuine fondness for the party and, by extension, the nation. Worse, the state’s heteronormative social policies further alienate these men. Even so, queer Singaporeans continue to assert their national belonging during Pink Dot and other queer events. As the first monograph to focus on Singaporean gay men, this book aims to enrich scholarly understanding of queer life in Southeast Asia. Academics and students of anthropology and sociology (especially those interested in the nation-state), Southeast Asian Studies, and Queer Studies will find this book innovative and insightful.