Sociology Commons^™

Alternative Sexualities/Intimacies? Yuri Fans Community In The Chinese Context, Ka Yi Yeung

Theses & Dissertations

Yuri is a Japanese manga sub-culture which refers to all kinds of works (manga, animation) that portray attraction between two girls, including spiritual bonding and shared values. Through examining the value and interpretation of this sub-culture by Yuri fans, this paper attempts to explore the construction of alternative sexuality identity among Yuri fans. This Japanese sub-culture has been implanted in Chinese fandom with the popularity of hit Yuri-related animations since 2004. With decades of development, Yuri has extended its application to various mediums including the slash fandom in TV dramas, idol groups, movies and spread its usage on Chinese …

Social Capital, Health Literacy, And Access To Healthcare : A Study Among Rural And Urban Populations In Ghana, Padmore Adusei Amoah

Theses & Dissertations

There is ample evidence supporting the association between social networks, and health and well-being. However, existing research and policies to address health-related inequalities in Ghana, have largely neglected this critical nexus. To address the knowledge gap, this study uses the concept of social capital (social relationships and the resources embedded in them) to investigate how and to what extent social relationships influence healthcare access and health literacy among selected rural and urban people. The study also examines how the stock of social capital, and the forms it takes, can influence implementation, and sustenance of local level pro-poor health policies. One …

Repertoire, Framing And Visions : The Occupy Movement In Hong Kong, Ho Man Leung

Theses & Dissertations

The Occupy Movement is one of the most significant civic events in recent Hong Kong History. This thesis is an attempt to make a comprehensive understanding of the movement by analyzing the actual movement activities and illustrating occupiers’ justification of actions. Three major issues are of concern here. First, what actually happened during the movement? Second, why did the occupiers join the movement? Lastly, how did the occupiers justify their actions during the movement? In this regard, the concepts of repertoire, framing and vision, will be employed to guide this study. Considering the three main factions of the movement, including …

Why Do Girls Stay Silent? An Exploratory Research On Young Women's Tolerance Toward Stranger Harassment, Sui Lau

Theses & Dissertations

Stranger harassment has been a rising issue regarding gender equality globally. Nevertheless, this issue has been rarely explored in Hong Kong. This study aims at discovering its prevalence, the frequency of its occurrences, local women’s reactions toward it and variables that may determine women’s reactions in a local context. Both personal qualities, including gender-related belief, self-objectification and body image, as well as situational qualities, namely perceived situational norms, are examined.

350 self- administered questionnaires were collected from local women aged between 18 and 25, in either pencil-and-paper or online forms. Results showed that more than 80% of respondents reported experiencing …

The Making Of Rurality In Hong Kong : Villagers' Changing Perception Of Rural Space, Chun On Lai

Theses & Dissertations

The study focus on the ongoing disputes over rural development bring to the fore the competing paradigms and representations of rurality on the part of different rural stakeholders in the New Territories. This study attempt to debunk the conventional image of the rural as a natural, homogenous locality pitted against the urban way of life. Drawing from the qualitative study of twenty-five people who live or often participate in rural activities, the New Territories was an actual space with three co-existing mindsets from three modes of social organization: agricultural, capitalist, post-industrial. These three co-existing mindsets are normally found in many …

Leisure And Life Satisfaction Among Tai Chi And Public Square Dance Participants In Hong Kong, Yechen Yao

Theses & Dissertations

Public Square Dance, or Guang Chang Wu (GCW) is a form of group dance that originated from Mainland China and has emerged gradually in Hong Kong. Like the more traditional Tai Chi, GCW is popular among the middle-aged and older adults, and is carried out in public spaces. However, the two activities seem to be treated quite differently by both government authorities and the general public. The study aims to compare the physiological, social and psychological benefits of the two forms of exercise. It also seeks to explore whether and how social determinants affect people’s choice to participate in either …

後Cepa 時期香港電影懷舊想像中的「本土」身份書寫, Dan Shen

Theses & Dissertations

2003 年中國內地與香港簽訂《內地與香港關於建立更緊密經貿關係的安排》(Mainland and Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement, 簡稱CEPA)。其中關於電影的條款放寬了香港電影進入內地的條件，加之龐大的市場需求，香港電影工業的跨境活動變得日益頻繁, 並開啟了新一輪的中港「合拍片」潮流。電影產業及其市場環境的轉變背後是更為深層的中港經濟、政治與文化的融合。香港從「九七」前後至今在新的政治空間及身份脈絡中不斷尋求「本土」位置顯得日益困難。電影作為流行文化文本和社會實踐曲折地表述「本土」、「自我」、「身份」，其中「懷舊」（nostalgia）便是近十年香港電影文化想像中一個顯著的憶述工具和路徑，亦即通過處理「過去」、歷史、集體記憶等來書寫「現在」的某種情感、經驗、欲望。

本論文以後CEPA 時期的香港電影為研究對象，檢閱以合拍片為主導的電影工業體制下，和香港近十年來文化政治脈絡中，不同類型、風格、主題，以及不同生產方式、製作規模、市場面向的香港電影懷舊想像與「本土」身份的互構關係。以及後CEPA 時代香港電影的懷舊想像與此前懷舊電影相比下的延續與新變。

香港子女贍養父母立法研究, King Yung, Anna Tang

Theses & Dissertations

1956 年，聯合國發表第一部研究世界人口老齡化的專著《人口老齡化及其社會經濟後果》，向全球發出人類將面臨人口老齡化命運的預警。聯合國老齡化問題世界大會，先後於1982 年和2002 年召開，制定多項行動綱領和目標計劃，呼籲各國遵照和參與。

1981 年，香港步入老齡化社會。根據2006 年中期人口調查報告，當時65歲或以上的老年人口佔香港總人口的12.4%，預計到2033 年，將會高達26.8%。香港一向以「家庭養老」作為主要的安老政策，回歸之後，亦以「老有所養」作為治港方針之一。目前的趨向是政府取代了多種傳統家庭的養老功能，狹窄的稅基是否能承擔得起龐大的福利開支？香港如何完善香港現時退休保障制度？為人子女供養父母的責任仍應否存在？或以立法強制子女供養父母是否可行？如此種種都是值得探討的問題。

本文以社會學紥根理論的研究方法、程序、技術進行研究，並與法社會學相關的基礎理論有機地結合，通過歸納分析逐步產生理論。設計出分為三個階段完善的特設框架：（一）文獻分析及初步歸納認為應有立法方向：在眾多文獻中提煉出主幹性的資料，包括國際社會解決老齡化問題的政策和方針，遠古中國的養老法律制度；探討「孝」具有「齊家治國」的奧妙；概述世界各國供養父母的立法情況；擷取新加坡《贍養父母法案》與中國《老年人權益保障法》進行比較；採用受英國普通法直接影響的新加坡《贍養父母法案》為藍本，以香港特質建構一套初步的法例結構框架；（二）將此框架交於專業人士驗証；（三）此框架經過優化後成為較可行的步驟，進行個案試行及模擬調解。指出對抗制訴訟體制可能激化家庭矛盾，建議在進入訴訟程序之前必須設立「贍養調解前置機制」。

本文冀能收抛磚引玉之效，以喚起政府及早完善長者多支柱生活保障的長遠策略，並就贍養父母議題展開公眾諮詢，引發各界進行討論，醖釀社會的共識，達到尋得真理的預期目標。

Citizenship Education In Post-1997 Hong Kong : Civic Education Or Nationalistic Education?, Kit Man

Theses & Dissertations

This study investigates citizenship education policy under the “One Country, Two Systems” model in Hong Kong. A number of studies have analyzed the Hong Kong-China national unification from the political, legal, economic, socio-cultural perspectives. This study approaches Hong Kong-China integration from the hotly contested issue of nationalistic education, attempted to be implemented by the Hong Kong government in the official school curriculum. I use as my data sources official documents issued by government agencies including the Chief Executive’s annual Policy Address, an internal report of the Commission on Strategic Development, and curriculum guides of the Curriculum Development Council to tease …

A Study Of The Universities Of The Third Age In Hong Kong : An Evaluation Of Elder Academy Model For The Life Long Learning Of Older People, Ka Fai Wong

Theses & Dissertations

Education aims at the development of knowledge and skills for its own sake and pleasure. People aged over 65 years currently comprise 11% of the Hong Kong population. Such aging population in Hong Kong constitutes a challenge to our society. To be adaptive to changes in the environment, especially in aging, more emphasis is placed on “lifelong learning” than on “lifelong education” for self-fulfillment Active aging is evidently supported as a solution to the impact of aging population. Lifelong learning is an important strategy for enhancing active aging. The provision and process of lifelong learning for older people can take …

Triad Movies And Young People's Perception Of Triads In Hong Kong, Alexandre Cerda

Theses & Dissertations

Triads are Chinese organized crime groups based in Hong Kong. Their origin remains uncertain despite the many different versions given. As they are secret and illegal, many facts remain unknown about them. Even though they have been associated with values such as honor and loyalty in the past, they are nowadays involved mainly in vice related activities such as gambling and prostitution. Their goal which is supposed to have been nationalistic also seems to have changed to only be profit making. Despite the fact that the scope of their activities have decreased since the 1970`s they are still active nowadays. …

Social Differentiation And Age-Friendly Characteristics : A Case Study In Tuen Mun, Yuen Ling, Elaine Yau

Theses & Dissertations

Hong Kong is one of Asia’s more demographically-aged cities, with 14% of population aged 65+ in 2012, projected to be 23% by 2025. Facilities and transport are generally good by world standards although the urban environment may not consistently be particularly ‘age-friendly’. Drawing on a range of urban sub-areas, this research investigated the ‘age-friendliness’ of Tuen Mun, a ‘new town’ of half a million population in Hong Kong. This study was also interested in socio-cultural variables and age-friendly cities (AFC) characteristics in its predominantly Chinese population, and relationships with psychological well-being (PWB).

A total of 503 participants aged 50 years …

Extending Job Demands-Resources Model : The Roles Of Energy Management Strategies And Recovery Experiences In Facing Differentiated Job Demands, Cho Ngan Siu

Theses & Dissertations

Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model (Bakker & Demerouti, 2007) provides valuable insight in identifying the antecedents and consequences of work stress and engagement. Nevertheless, the roles of personal resources and differentiated job demands (i.e., challenge demands and hindrance demands) have received less attention in the literature. Studies on their interaction effects are even rarer. This thesis reports two studies intending to fill this gap of knowledge.

Study 1 aimed to develop a new scale of energy management strategies (EMS) at work and to demonstrate its reliability. A self-administered questionnaire survey adopting a cross-sectional design was conducted among 323 employees recruited from …

Materialism And Life Satisfaction Among Older People In Hong Kong : A Case Study And Comparison With Younger People, Yau Tsang Chan

Theses & Dissertations

The rapidly ageing global population reminds us to pay attention to the psychology of ageing. As research on materialism among older people is rare, this study aimed to explore the relationships between materialism and life satisfaction among older people in Hong Kong, a rapidly ageing Chinese society. It also suggested a novel concept – intergenerational material expectations (IME) – to understand older people’s material expectations regarding their children. The data were compared with a younger group to find out if age differences existed. The study was a survey design among two age groups: older people aged 65+ and younger people …

The Impacts Of Modernity On Family Structure And Function : A Study Among Beijing, Hong Kong And Yunnan Families, Ting Cao

Theses & Dissertations

For a generation in many sociological literatures, China has provided the example of traditional family with good intra-familial relationship, filial piety and extended family support which is unusually stable and substantially unchanged. However, with the emergence of modernity, in the forms of industrialization and urbanization; capitalization and public policy transformation, the family structure has undergone changes where nuclear and asymmetrical types have emerged. At the same time, family support for the elderly is affected by the changes in family formation, family dynamics, as well as people’s values and their way of life. Do the theories concerning the relationship between modernity …

A Study Of Positive Emotions And Turnover Intentions Among Hong Kong Police Officers : The Mediating Role Of Psychological Capital And Work Well-Being, Chun Lok Lui

Theses & Dissertations

With reference to Fredrickson‘s (2001) broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions, the current study investigated the mechanism of how positive emotions contribute to desirable outcomes to the organization through psychological capital (PsyCap), which is a positive, state-like, and performance-related resource comprising self-efficacy, hope, optimism and resilience. To date, only few studies have been done particularly on the relationships between PsyCap and positive emotions among Chinese employees. Studies on PsyCap of police force are even rarer. The main purpose of this study was to investigate the underlying mechanism relating positive emotions and work outcomes, specifically to examine the separate roles of positive …

Spousal Abuse And Social Workers : When Private Sphere Goes Public, King Fan, Veronica Shek

Theses & Dissertations

This study uses the concept of public and private spheres to analyze how Hong Kong‘s social workers manage spousal abuse cases. Victims of spousal abuse in Hong Kong generally see their experiences as "family shame‖" something that belongs to the private domain - and are therefore reluctant to disclose them to third parties. However, there is a public conviction that social workers are appropriate agents to handle spousal abuses. This study examines the roles and responsibilities of social workers and their service recipients in spousal abuse cases. The analysis is based on eleven semi-structured, in-depth interviews conducted with social workers …

Work Support, Work-Family Enrichment, Work Demand And Work Well-Being Among Chinese Employees : A Study Of Mediating And Moderating Processes, Shuwen Tang

Theses & Dissertations

Work and family are the central and salient domains in one’s life. Juggling work and family life has become a challenge for many employees and families (Hammer et al., 2005). This study proposed a theoretical model in which work to family enrichment functioned as the mediator between work support (support from supervisor, co-workers and organization) and work well-being (job satisfaction and psychological health), and also examined whether work demand buffered the impact of work support on work well-being. The inclusion of work to family enrichment extends prior research on Job Demands – Resources model (Demerouti & Bakker, 2007), and allows …

Spirituality And Ageing : A Qualitative Study Of Religiosity Of Chinese Older Persons In Hong Kong, Yuk Ha Wong

Theses & Dissertations

The life expectancy of Chinese people in Hong Kong is increasing and is amongst the longest in the world. However, many people, especially older persons may experience chronic ill-health and, less detectable, many may also be experiencing alienation, loneliness, meaninglessness and fear of death. Spirituality and spiritual care, which focus on the healing of the soul and quest for meaning, are important to many people as they age and face the prospect of death, and therefore they may have existential anxieties. A holistic healthcare approach, which views humans as bio-psycho-social-spiritual beings, stresses the importance of spirituality to people’s health and …

當代中國文化明星的製造 : 變動的文化生產場, Weizi Huang

Theses & Dissertations

本文借助並修訂了布爾迪厄（Pierre Bourdieu）的理論框架，透過對中國大陸二十世紀九十年代以來文化明星的製造進行研究來理解變動中的文化生產場 (field of cultural production)，並探討在其間知識分子作為的新可能。文化明星問題之所以值得特別研究，首先是由於它處於當代中國文化生產的中心，涉及到電視、圖書、平面媒體、互聯網等不同的文化生產次場域（sub-field），以及製作人、 出版人、文化明星本人、“粉絲” (fans) 和批評者所代表的不同力量。考察圍繞著製造文化明星的複雜的關係網絡，正可以勾勒出當代中國變動的文化生產場域的概貌。其次，文化明星的產生和生產是對九十年代以來知識分子危機的一種回應，是知識分子問題的變奏。理解了文化明星的製造機制，有助於尋找在當下的文化生產場中知識分子作為的新可能。

本文選取余秋雨、易中天、于丹和韓寒四個個案進行深入分析。余秋雨是公認的第一個最成功的文化明星，對其案例進行研究揭示了文化明星產生的歷史轉變。易中天和于丹的案例則代表著著一種可以複製的成熟的文化明星製造模式的出現。韓寒的形象及製造是一種有別于以上主流文化明星的另類模式。

本文綜合運用多種研究方法，包括對十幾名相關的文化生產者進行訪問，組織了一個針對粉絲的焦點小組（focus group），並且到電視節目錄製現場、出版 社和大型書店進行參與式觀察。此外亦有歷史檔案梳理和文本、話語分析。 最終，本文繪製出了不同的文化明星在當代中國文化生產場中的位置，反思了現有文化明星生產模式的後果，並對知識分子/文化生產者參與文化生產提出有針對性的建議。

Negotiation In Cross-Cultural Marriages : An Exploratory Qualitative Study Among Middle Class Professionals In Hong Kong, Pui Kwan Man

Theses & Dissertations

This thesis attempts to focus on families and their children (if any) in cross-cultural marriages. These families potentially face extra stress and strains in addition to those which all families face. As a result of recent social and economic changes, certain roles such as those of the breadwinner and caregiver, traditionally male-female roles, may be becoming more interchangeable. Cross-cultural families’ may have differences in cultural backgrounds, attitudes and expectations, as well as potential support networks, so the research will investigate whether these sorts of changes place even greater than usual demands on families.

Therefore, it may be important for couples …

Older Persons' Perceptions Of Their Future : A Qualitative Study In Hong Kong, Shuk Ching, Crystal So

Theses & Dissertations

This study examines older persons’ hopes, fears and expectations for the future, a topic little explored in Hong Kong. The study of twenty-five people aged 65-85 years adopts a qualitative approach to explore the experiences that shape older persons’ views of their future lives. Three models emerged from the empirical study, namely The Model of Resignation, The Model of Predestination and The Model of Adaptation.

The findings suggest that respondents who had and still have little social support from friends tend to live very much in the present; they do not look forward to the future nor do they have …

Exploring The Television Portrayal Of Older People In Hong Kong : A Study Of Two Public Affairs Documentary Series, Caillie Tam

Theses & Dissertations

Adopting the contextual social constructionist perspective on social problems, the present study investigates how older people are portrayed in two public affairs television documentaries in Hong Kong over a period of two decades. There were The Hong Kong Connection (produced by the public service broadcaster, Radio Television Hong Kong); and Chasing Current Affairs (produced by a commercial broadcaster, Asia Television Limited). A mixture of research designs was employed in the analysis, namely: (1) content analysis on the documentary episodes, (2) reviews of government documents and (3) in-depth interviews with social workers and the staff engaged in documentary episode productions. A …

Risk Culture Of Late Modernity? : Mass Tutoring Enrolment Of Hong Kong's Senior Secondary Students, Cheuk Wai, Jeffrey Cheung

Theses & Dissertations

Mass tutoring on senior secondary curricula, with specific focus on examination syllabi and techniques, has expanded rapidly in Hong Kong in the recent decade. Through semi-structured in-depth interviews, conducted in summer 2007, with 20 certificate level (Secondary 4 and 5) and 21 advanced level (Secondary 6 and 7) students with various level of involvement in mass tutoring, this study discovered:

(1) Risk awareness and future-oriented mentality: Students expected that mass tutoring could help improve their performance in public examinations, and could secure good grades. To them, better grades mean higher chance to get a recognized qualification, fulfil their career aspiration, …

Beyond Public Health : The Cultural Politics Of Tobacco Control In Hong Kong, Wai Yin Chan

Theses & Dissertations

This work provides cultural and political explanations on how and why cigarette smoking has increasingly become an object of intolerance and control in Hong Kong. Since the 1980s, the smoking population has been falling. Smoking behavior, sales and promotion of cigarette products have been under close surveillance by the government, medical experts and society at large. Cigarette smoking, as well as smokers, has increasingly been rejected and demonized in the public discourse. What are the conditions that make the growing intolerant discourses and practices against cigarette smoking possible and dominant? Why and how has the tobacco control campaign become prevalent …

Queering Sex Machines : The Re-Articulation Of Non-Normative Sexualities And Technosexual Bodies, Hok Bun, Isaac Leung

Theses & Dissertations

From the simple electronic vibrator to the complex assemblages of cybersex, sex and technology have always intersected. The dynamic relations between sexuality and technology are constantly changing along with the ways in which human beings achieve psychological and bodily pleasure through these devices. Sex machine, a term that denotes an automated device that can assist human in the pursuits of sex, has been broadly defined as therapeutic and pleasure machines in the West. Large numbers of sex machines have been documented in Europe and America starting from the nineteenth century, and were widely produced and utilized by medical practitioners, sex …

Fear Of Crime Among Older Persons : An Exploratory Qualitative Study In Different Environments In Hong Kong, On Fung Chan

Theses & Dissertations

Fear of crime among various groups has long been studied in Western societies. Many studies have concluded that older persons tend to exhibit higher levels of fear of crime than other age groups even though they are generally at a lower risk of being victims of crime. However, there have been relatively few studies on fear of crime and associated reasons amongst older persons in Asian cities and Chinese societies. Moreover, most existing studies have generally utilized quantitative methods to examine the possibly causal relationships between fear of crime and its underlying factors, and subjective evaluations by older people themselves …

Information Technology Usage And Quality Of Life Among Older Persons : A Qualitative Study In Hong Kong, Wing Fung, Chad Chan

Theses & Dissertations

INTRODUCTION: In this high technology era, rapid developments in information technology (IT) have the potential to transform the lives of older persons. Ageing tends to be associated with reductions in health status and resources, which can be potentially affect the adoption of new technology. However, the role of IT is becoming ever more influential in our daily living though the digital services such as email, e-banking and e-shopping. Therefore, older persons inevitably come across various IT-related products, especially computers and the Internet, in their everyday lives. Moreover, the quality of life of older persons is important and has been identified …

Age Identity And Adjustment Patterns In Later Life : A Qualitative Study Of Retired Secondary School Teachers And Manual Workers In Hong Kong, Kit Ying, Connie Yong

Theses & Dissertations

With escalating heterogeneity of the older population due to extending healthy life expectancy, chronological age is decreasingly likely to be an appropriate discriminator of social groups among the diverse population. It may be more fruitful to understand how older people actually feel and live their lives than merely using chronological age as a categorizing variable. Therefore, the present research investigates individual age identity which may provide a more realistic indicator of ageing in the life course. It may also underpin many behavioral phenomena.

Age identity focuses on how an individual perceives himself or herself in terms of age. Previous studies …

Powerless Or Perilous? : Ageing Women As An Emerging Social Force In Hong Kong, Kit Ling Luk

Theses & Dissertations

Ageing women have so often been represented in government policy rhetoric, gerontology literatures and journalistic discourse as the genderless, powerless and passive objects of welfare and services;, by and large, as a social problem that needs to be monitored and managed. Taking a cultural research approach, this thesis explores ageing women’s actual practices in Hong Kong social movements and aims to rerepresent ageing women as active social agents capable of generating multiple “tactical identities” enabling them to participate in and interact with an environment that poses concrete challenges to their participation.

In filling the gap between research on social movements …