A room of her own: Gender, power, and emotional resistance among rural Chinese girls

This manuscript explores the intersecting narratives of rural Chinese girls—Juniper, Eucalyptus, and Wattle—through the lens of affect theory, examining how emotions and power intertwine within the spatial and societal contexts of patriarchal norms. Drawing on data from an ethnographic research project on gender construction among rural Chinese women, the study utilizes interviews to interrogate how subjectivities are shaped, fragmented, and negotiated within specific spatial and emotional landscapes. By foregrounding affect as a relational force, the manuscript reveals how gendered identities are contested and reconfigured through the emotional dimensions of spatial exclusions, familial hierarchies, and cultural expectations. Juniper's frustrations with restricted mobility and constrained ambitions, Eucalyptus's subtle challenges to gendered authority, and Wattle's navigation of caregiving obligations trace the delicate interplay between systemic marginalization and emergent forms of agency. These intimate narratives illuminate how power operates within everyday spaces, yet resonates with wider societal frameworks. Resistance is depicted not through dramatic gestures but via incremental shifts in relational dynamics and redefinitions of cultural meanings. Through its focus on spatial dynamics and the generative capacity of affect to negotiate new possibilities, the study destabilizes monolithic portrayals of identity and power. These stories of affective dissonance and reimagined boundaries highlight the contingency of domination and the fluidity of gender roles. By engaging with the interplay of emotions, space, and societal structures, this manuscript offers a nuanced contribution to understanding gendered experiences in rural Chinese communities, while opening pathways for broader theoretical and applied inquiries. • Rural Chinese girls' autonomy challenges patriarchal family power dynamics. • Emotional resistance reshapes traditional models of belonging and care. • Gendered expectations condition emotional experiences within rural families. • Boundary-making becomes a key strategy of emotional and social agency. • Rural spaces become gendered sites that shape and reflect girls' emotional experiences.