Doctoral Dissertation Research: The Effects of Grassroots Men's Organizations on Civil Society in China

Brandeis University, Waltham MA

Investigators

Abstract

Brandeis University doctoral candidate, Casey J. Miller, advised by Dr. Sarah Lamb and Dr. Ellen Schattschneider, will undertake research on the local social and cultural effects of a global health crisis. The research will be carried out in China, where the researcher will focus on how members of local health-promotion groups appropriate and translate international ideas and practices regarding global diseases. The study will start with a regional network of Chinese grassroots men's health groups. Such groups are increasing in China, sometimes in collaboration with state health departments, despite restrictions on Chinese non-governmental organizations. The researcher will use a mix of ethnographic methods including: participating in and observing group activities and events, conducting semi-structured interviews, and holding focus groups with group volunteers, health department officials, and local community members. The researcher also will as analyze print and electronic media produced by and for men's groups. This research is important because it will generate knowledge about grassroots health education and prevention activities, crucial for preventing the future spread of global pandemics. Deepening our understanding of how global and national prevention goals and policies interact with and are enacted through local and regional stakeholders may assist in the planning and implementation of more effective policies and programs both in China and elsewhere. The research also will support the education of a social scientist.