New Books in East Asian Studies Zhiying Ma, "Between Families and Institutions: Mental Health and Biopolitical Paternalism in Contemporary China" (Duke UP, 2025)
Mar 15, 2025
Zhiying Ma, an assistant professor at the University of Chicago, explores mental health and familial dynamics in contemporary China. She discusses the challenges families face under the 2013 Mental Health Law, which reinforces familial control over patients. Through her ethnographic research, Ma introduces the concept of 'biopolitical paternalism,' examining how government policies shape family involvement in care. Her insights reveal the ethical tensions and health disparities arising from these dynamics, shedding light on the interconnectedness of mental health, societal norms, and governance.
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Ma's Personal and Academic Journey
- Zhiying Ma's own experience with physical disability and family chronic illnesses inspired her focus on mental health in China.
- An internship in a Beijing psychiatric hospital exposed her to the entanglement of mental illness with family dynamics, shaping her research path.
Hospital-Family Circuit Dominance
- The hospital-family circuit dominates mental health care in reform-era China, cycling patients between home and locked psychiatric wards.
- This results from socioeconomic reforms, biomedical epistemology, and legal structures emphasizing family responsibility.
Psychiatry Transforms Family Care
- Psychiatry translates everyday family chaos into mental disorder symptoms, escalating family care into lifelong risk management.
- The Chinese concept 'guan' entwines care and control, turning hopeful parental care into ongoing responsibility.