Abstract:

This paper aims to reexamine the problem orientation prevailing in extant research on left-behind children from a comprehensive perspective of children and social structure. Through the analysis of the qualitative data gathered from the fieldwork in a middle school and nearby villages in Hunan Province, this paper reveals in detail the mixed feelings towards migrant parents amongst the left-behind children and their agency in constructing their parent-child relationship of “love without affinity”. Furthermore, the emotional tension in this construction is rooted in their family practices to pursue a better life, which are both material and emotional. On the one hand, such family practices are shaped by structural and cultural contexts associated with migration; on the other, they provide an impetus for structural and cultural transformation.

Key words: left-behind children, parent-child relationship, children’s perspective, initiative