{"title":"Romantic relationship beliefs of Chinese emerging adults following parental divorce","authors":"Dai Aihui , A.B. Siti Hajar , O. Noralina","doi":"10.1016/j.ajss.2025.100233","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ajss.2025.100233","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study investigates how parental divorce shapes the romantic relationship beliefs of emerging adults in China amid rapid cultural change. Grounded in the social-cognitive model of transference, we explore how early relational experiences and family narratives influence expectations of love, commitment, and intimacy. Semi-structured interviews with 20 emerging adults (ages 19–27) from divorced families were thematically analyzed. Three core patterns emerged: (1) negative views of men, often rooted in paternal disillusionment and maternal storytelling, (2) gendered coping strategies, with females adopting defensive individualism and males engaging in corrective identification, and (3) ambivalence toward intimacy, marked by tension between desire for closeness and need for autonomy. Findings show that divorce effects are mediated by paternal behaviors, maternal communication, and cultural norms. By situating family legacies within China’s shifting landscape of rising divorce, individualism, and evolving gender roles, the study illuminates how broader transformations shape romantic beliefs.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":45675,"journal":{"name":"Asian Journal of Social Science","volume":"54 1","pages":"Article 100233"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145926416","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Contested development in the Highlands: Geographical indications, local elites, and the political economy of Bario rice in Malaysia","authors":"Louis Augustin-Jean, Lydia Ann Anak Bill","doi":"10.1016/j.ajss.2026.100237","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ajss.2026.100237","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Governments in the European Union and Asia have promoted Geographical Indications (GIs)—labels that link products to specific regions—as tools for rural development. This article assesses this claim through the case of Bario rice in Malaysia. Based on fieldwork, it shows that while Bario rice commands a price premium, the benefits largely bypass farmers and accrue to intermediaries. Development outcomes have also been constrained by weak infrastructure, outmigration, elite fragmentation, and the exclusion of local producers from the GI registration and modernization processes. The Bario case reveals how top-down implementation of GI schemes, without local participation or legitimacy, can reinforce inequality rather than support development. The findings suggest that unless GIs are embedded in inclusive governance and adapted to local contexts, their developmental potential remains limited.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":45675,"journal":{"name":"Asian Journal of Social Science","volume":"54 1","pages":"Article 100237"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146173703","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Performances of emergent masculinities amongst rickshaw drivers in Nepal","authors":"Matthew Maycock","doi":"10.1016/j.ajss.2025.100226","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ajss.2025.100226","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This paper provides insights into emergent masculinities amongst a group of cycle and auto rickshaw drivers in Dhangadhi, far-west Nepal. The main focus of this paper is to explore various <em>Janajati</em> (Indigenous) masculinities as they are changing as a consequence of both moving to a city to work as rickshaw drivers along with automation within the rickshaw occupation. Cycle rickshaw driving had profound implications both for the bodies and masculinities, with tensions emerging between the performances of masculinity expected and encouraged within rickshaw driving and the bodies of the men who are rickshaw drivers. These associations are being reconfigured through the introduction of automated rickshaws, something that is a unique focus of this paper. The process of automation also disrupted the occupation of rickshaw driving being a largely male occupation. Ultimately, this paper explores the implications of automation for gendered associations within certain occupations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":45675,"journal":{"name":"Asian Journal of Social Science","volume":"53 4","pages":"Article 100226"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145519529","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Apostolopoulou, Elia, Han Cheng, Jonathan Silver, and Alan Wiig. (2025). The material geographies of the belt and road initiative: Infrastructures and political ecologies on the new silk road. Bristol University Press. 249. ISBN: 978-1-5292-4063-4","authors":"Haoyue Cecilia Li","doi":"10.1016/j.ajss.2025.100223","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ajss.2025.100223","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":45675,"journal":{"name":"Asian Journal of Social Science","volume":"53 4","pages":"Article 100223"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145516362","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Becoming transparent and feeling helpless: Expressions of vulnerability and inequality in online critiques of algorithmic surveillance in China","authors":"Haili Li , Genia Kostka","doi":"10.1016/j.ajss.2025.100214","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ajss.2025.100214","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>During the COVID-19 pandemic, numerous countries, including China, deployed digital surveillance technologies as part of broader social governance strategies. While these technologies offered certain benefits, their widespread application also posed risks, including algorithmic bias and privacy infringement. This study examines critical discussions (or critiques) on Chinese social media concerning various problems induced by algorithmic surveillance technologies such as the Health Code and Travel Code during the pandemic. Employing computational and qualitative textual analysis, our findings highlight recurring accounts of algorithmic and technical failures that users encountered when interacting with surveillance technologies. These disruptions exposed individuals to heightened algorithmic vulnerability and intensified existing inequalities, particularly through unequal treatment and negative emotional experiences. Our research further implies that the critical discussions often framed the Chinese government’s massive deployment of algorithmic surveillance technologies as exacerbating pre-existing issues, such as the digital divide and social bias, especially for vulnerable groups like older people. Meanwhile, our analysis of online critiques highlights growing concerns and skepticism among some users toward both algorithmic technologies and state governance.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":45675,"journal":{"name":"Asian Journal of Social Science","volume":"53 4","pages":"Article 100214"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145363383","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Ganapathy, N. (2023). Gangs and Minorities in Singapore: Masculinity, Marginalization and Resistance. Bristol University Press. 234 pages. ISBN: 978-1529210651","authors":"Kamaludeen Mohamed Nasir (Professor of Sociology)","doi":"10.1016/j.ajss.2025.100219","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ajss.2025.100219","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":45675,"journal":{"name":"Asian Journal of Social Science","volume":"53 4","pages":"Article 100219"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145363521","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Exploring Xiaohongshu’s role in business promotion among new Chinese migrant enterprises","authors":"Songming Yang","doi":"10.1016/j.ajss.2025.100218","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ajss.2025.100218","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Social media has become an essential part of daily life and plays a crucial role in business. This study examines how new Chinese migrant enterprises in Auckland, New Zealand, use the social media platform Xiaohongshu (Rednote) for business promotion. Using qualitative interviews, it investigates how these enterprises leverage Xiaohongshu to enhance brand visibility and consumer engagement. Findings reveal that Xiaohongshu’s integration of social networking and brand promotion helps businesses overcome cultural and market barriers, foster customer loyalty, and drive sales. This study contributes to transnational entrepreneurship and social capital theories by highlighting the platform’s role in facilitating cross-cultural business operations. It also provides valuable insights into the digital marketing strategies of migrant enterprises, emphasising the significance of culturally specific social media platforms in global business promotion.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":45675,"journal":{"name":"Asian Journal of Social Science","volume":"53 4","pages":"Article 100218"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145417292","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Ecological gaze and unequal subjectivity: A sociological analysis of marine garbage governance","authors":"Jingzhou Liu , Jie Zhuo","doi":"10.1016/j.ajss.2025.100225","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ajss.2025.100225","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Marine garbage governance overlooks sociocultural and perceptual dynamics shaping waste meanings. This article introduces the concept of the ecological gaze to analyze how visual, moral, and affective relations mediate environmental governance, using a case study of Qingbang Island in Zhoushan, China. We uncover how different actors - including tourists, residents, volunteers, and nonhuman forces (the ocean) - interact through complex systems of visibility and judgment. Through qualitative fieldwork, we identify three key dynamics: performative compliance driven by tourist scrutiny, moral tensions within volunteer engagement, and the symbolic power of the re-entrant gaze of nature. These findings demonstrate that environmental governance is not merely institutional or behavioral, but also visual and relational. The ecological gaze offers a novel analytic for understanding how social inequalities and emotional experiences shape environmental subjectivity and accountability. This framework has broader implications for rethinking governance in ecologically vulnerable and visually mediated contexts.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":45675,"journal":{"name":"Asian Journal of Social Science","volume":"53 4","pages":"Article 100225"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145519525","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Easum, T. (2023). Chiang Mai between empire and modern Thailand: A city in the colonial margins. Amsterdam University Press, 288. ISBN: 9789463726467","authors":"Chen Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.ajss.2025.100216","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ajss.2025.100216","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":45675,"journal":{"name":"Asian Journal of Social Science","volume":"53 4","pages":"Article 100216"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145363522","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Kent, Lia. (2024). The unruly dead: Spirits, memory, and state formation in Timor-Leste. University of Wisconsin Press. 209 pages. ISBN: 978-0299-349301.","authors":"Alberto Fidalgo-Castro","doi":"10.1016/j.ajss.2025.100224","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ajss.2025.100224","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":45675,"journal":{"name":"Asian Journal of Social Science","volume":"53 4","pages":"Article 100224"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145578959","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}