Andrew B. Kipnis

Throughout China the formation of guanxi, or social connections, involves friends, families, colleagues, and acquaintances in complex networks of social support and sentimental attachment. Focusing on this process in one rural north China village, Fengjia, Andrew Kipnis shows what guanxi production reveals about the evolution of village political economy, kinship and gender, and local patterns of subjectivity in Dengist China. His work offers a detailed description of the communicative actions--such as gift giving, being a host or guest, participating in weddings or funerals--that produce, manage, and deny guanxi in a specific time and place. Kipnis also offers a rare comparative analysis of how these practices relate to the varied and variable phenomenon of guanxi throughout China and as it has changed over time. Producing Guanxi combines the theory of Pierre Bourdieu and the insights of symbolic anthropology to contest past portrayals of guanxi as either a function of Chinese political economics or an unchanging Confucian social structure. In this analysis guanxi emerges as a purposeful human effort that makes use of past cultural logics while generating new ones. By exploring the role of sentiment in the creation of self, Kipnis critiques recent theories of subjectivity for their narrow focus on language and discourse, and contributes to the anthropological discussion of comparative selfhood. Navigating a path between mainstream social science and abstract social theory, Kipnis presents a more nuanced examination of guanxi than has previously been available and contributes generally to our understanding of relationships and human action.

Sentiment, Self, and Subculture in a North China Village

Producing Guanxi

Jonathan Unger

Luigi Tomba

The first volume brings together the best work to have been published on Chinese society and politics in the Maoist period (1949-76). Volume II, meanwhile, collects the key research dealing with both the theoretical implications and the empirical complexities of the post-Mao evolution at the highest level of the political leadership. The distinctions between urban and rural are especially significant in the People's Republic, not least because of China's system of residential registration which denies rural residents any right to live permanently in a city, and the final two volumes are organized with these fundamental distinctions in mind. Volume III gathers the best work on topics including: urban spaces (e.g. the creation and dismantlement of the socialist city, the creation of virtual cities, and the making of Olympics Beijing); the newly prosperous constituencies (including China's 'new rich' and the development of a huge and increasingly self-identifying middle class); China's working class; internal migration; and, urban social change. Volume IV includes work brought together under themes such as rural politics; family farming; changes in rural society in a period of economic reform; and, China's ethnic minorities.

Contemporary Chinese Society and Politics

Tamara Jacka

Sally Sargeson

Introduces readers to key sociological perspectives about modern Chinese society and social change.

Society and Social Change

Contemporary China

The funeral of Mr. Wang -- Of transitions and transformations -- Of space and place : Separation and distinction in the homes of the dead -- Of strangers and kin : moral family and ghastly strangers in urban sociality -- Of gifts and commodities : Spending on the dead while providing for the living -- Of rules and regulations : governing mourning -- Of souls and spirits : secularization and its limits -- Of dreams and memories : a ghost story from a land where haunting is banned -- Epilogue.

Life, Death, and Ghosts in Urbanizing China

The Funeral of Mr. Wang

"Between 1988 and 2013, the Chinese city of Zouping transformed from an impoverished village of 30,000 people to a bustling city of over 300,000, complete with factories, high rises, parks, shopping malls, and all the infrastructure of a wealthy East Asian city. From Village to City paints a vivid portrait of the rapid change of Zouping, its environs, and the lives of the once-rural people who live there. Despite its modernization and higher standards of living, Zouping is far from a utopia; its inhabitants face new challenges and problems such as alienation, class formation and exclusion, patriarchy, and pollution. To understand this transformation, Andrew B. Kipnis has developed a theory of urbanization, demonstrated in his compelling portrayal of an emerging metropolis and the hopes, fears, joys, and sorrows of the people who call it home"--Provided by publisher.

Social Transformation in a Chinese County Seat

From Village to City

China's rapid economic growth, modernization and globalization have led to astounding social changes. Contemporary China provides a fascinating portrayal of society and social change in the contemporary People's Republic of China. This book introduces readers to key sociological perspectives, themes and debates about Chinese society. It explores topics such as family life, citizenship, gender, ethnicity, labour, religion, education, class and rural/urban inequalities. It considers China's imperial past, the social and institutional legacies of the Maoist era, and the momentous forces shaping it in the present. It also emphasises diversity and multiplicity, encouraging readers to consider new perspectives and rethink Western stereotypes about China and its people. Real-life case studies illustrate the key features of social relations and change in China. Definitions of key terms, discussion questions and lists of further reading help consolidate learning. Including full-colour maps and photographs, this book offers remarkable insight into Chinese society and social change.

Andrew B. Kipnis

Books

Your next favorite book is out there