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>> xi Acknowledgments This book could not have been possible without the generosity, insights, and friendship of many people or without the support of numerous organizations , both in the United States and in China. I am thankful to the Annenberg School for Communication for generous funding while I was conducting fieldwork and writing this book. The initial fieldwork would not have been possible without a year-long National Resource Center Foreign Language and Area Studies grant, administered by the East Asian Studies Center at the University of Southern California (USC). The Center for Feminist Research at USC provided travel and research support as well. Funding for follow-up research trips in 2010 and 2011 was given by the Department of Communication at Texas A&M University. I would also like to acknowledge the Melbern G. Glasscock Center for Humanities Research at Texas A&M University for a publication support grant. Throughout the years since I began this research, I have been extremely fortunate to have worked with several amazing friends and colleagues who have not only shared their knowledge and experience, but have also provided crucial emotional support. Sarah Banet-Weiser has been a mentor, friend, and constant source of encouragement. Sandra Ball-Rokeach has taught me much about the field of communication. Manuel Castells added analytical and intellectual rigor to this project. Stanley Rosen helped me to sharpen my arguments and analysis. Anne Balsamo’s passion for questions regarding culture and technology has inspired me, and her infectious smile has often lifted my spirits. I am thankful as well for many other friends and colleagues I met while at USC who helped me think through this project at different stages, including François Bar, Melissa Brough, Sasha Constanza-Chock, Carmen Gonzalez, Larry Gross, Charlotte Lapsansky, Jingfang Liu, Travers Scott, Araba Sey, and Cindy Shen. This book crosses disciplines, and I am indebted to many whose work provided early inspiration and who subsequently offered their insights and xii > xiii I am blessed to have many friends in California whose unfailing belief in me and constant encouragement were sustenance throughout this project: Lucienne Aarsen, Gregory Anderson, Reka Clausen, Nancy Currey, Melina Dorian, Janet Goodwin, Linda Jensen, Luo Xinping, Linda Rhine, Molly Smith-Olsson, Gaby Solomon, and Jen Teasdale. Judy Marasco is a great friend, and we have shared so many experiences in and out of China that I feel like her soul is in this project as well. I also want to thank my parents, Gene and Martha Wallis, and my sisters , Inger Budke and Laura Wallis, for believing in me and cheering me on in all of my endeavors. My husband, John Zollinger, has provided me with unwavering love and support. I am grateful for his dedication to helping me succeed and for his ability to help me keep my work in perspective within the greater meaning of life. Credit goes to three anonymous readers whose feedback on earlier drafts of the manuscript was invaluable, as well as to Kent Ono, Ciara McLaughlin, Despina Papazoglou Gimbel, and especially Eric Zinner at NYU Press. I also want to thank Edmond Cho and Dave Schlotterback for help with the cover image. Finally, to all the migrant women who participated in this study I owe heartfelt appreciation for sharing with me and teaching me not only about the role of mobile communication in their lives, but also about hope, dignity, and perseverance. They truly changed my life. Portions of chapter 3 are based on chapter 4 in Rich Ling and Scott Campbell ’s (2011) edited volume Mobile Communication: Bringing Us Together and Tearing Us Apart by Transaction Publishers and on chapter 4 in Stephanie Hemelryk Donald, Theresa Dirndorfer Anderson, and Damien Spry’s (2010) edited volume Youth, Society, and Mobile Media in Asia by Routledge. The chapter portions are reprinted here in revised form with permission from the publishers. Portions of chapter 5 appeared in New Media & Society 13, no. 3, and are reprinted here with permission from the publisher. This page intentionally left blank ...

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