Technomobility in China

"InTechnomobility in China, Wallis brings the story of young female migrant labourers to public attention. Their aspirations and the different strategies they use to & get by in the city cuts through the stereotype that they are passive vessels waiting for instruction. The thick descriptions accompanying Wallis arguments of the ideological, social and economic barriers that tend to limit the success of migrant workers efforts drive this point home: these barriers are neither necessary nor deterministic. Perhaps, just as Wallis gave back to the community while conducting her ethnography, her book will contribute to the improvement of the social and political conditions migrant labourers face." ~Pacific Affairs

"Wallis decision to study mobile phone use among the worlds largest migrant population possesses a natural affinity, which seems destined from the outset to deliver noteworthy findings. The resultant volume is made all the more remarkable owing to the surprising discovery that her participants young rural migrant women working in Beijings service sector are in fact defined by their experience of numerous forms of immobility." ~Social Anthropology

"An interesting, well-researched, and well-supported study." ~A. Heaphy, Choice

"Cara Wallis has contributed a significant and unique piece of scholarship that enriches, sharpens, and humanizes our understanding of the techno-social and cultural transformations of our era and the concomitant grand narratives of Chinas rise and its attainment of globalized modernity. The work is not only highly sophisticated in its theoretical conceptualization, but also extremely rich in its empirical description. The analysis is careful, nuanced and always well-contextualized. This is a superb, insightful, and self-reflexive piece of scholarship." ~Yuezhi Zhao,Professor and Canada Research Chair in Political Economy of Global Communication, Simon Fraser Unive

"An ethnographically rich and empathetic portrayal of the intricacies of life among young female migrants navigating the experience of & immobile mobility. Bringing together the best of cultural studies, communication and feminist scholarship, Wallis theoretically sophisticated ethnography is a welcome and valuable addition to our understanding of communication, mobility and contemporary China." ~Heather A. Horst,Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, and co-author of The Cell Phone

"Cara Wallis is the perfect observer to help us understand mobile phone use among young Chinese working class women, dagongmei, who live and work in the major cities far away from their rural homes. Through rigorous field work, excellent access, and a sensitive ear, she offers unique insight into how mobile phones both liberate and subjugate these young women. This supple and theoretically grounded work demands our attention." ~Rich Ling,author of The Mobile Connection: The Cell Phone's Impact on Society