Description
- Abstract:
- This study investigates both the opportunities and constraints for civil society in China to effect political change. Diverging from the dominant approach of state-society relations, my study explores the possibility of solidarity. Solidarity is defined as a political culture that imposes obligations on individuals to have an “enlarged mentality” in political participation. Based on interviews with 106 civil society activists and participant observations, I provide a historicist account on how the idea of civil society has been introduced to China after the student movement, and how this discourse has been translated across the boundary between the academy and social activisms. My argument is that, although civil society activisms in China are becoming increasingly vibrant, the development of a solidary sphere is still largely constrained. I demonstrate how specific political arrangements of the state, the market, and the internal structure of civil society have inhibited the development of a solidary sphere along three dimensions in particular – concrete networks, categorical identities, and public deliberations. With respect to the state, I show how the legacy of communist rule, which defines the party-state as the final arbiter for consensus formation, is still consequential for activisms in civil society. Although citizens have been granted opportunities to voice their particular demands, or even participate in public deliberations, they have been deprived of the opportunities to reflect upon their position in the system, and establish solidary relations with other members in the political community. With respect to the market, I demonstrate that, although commercial powers in the market could provide activists in civil society with critical resources, in some occasions, these powers could also become inimical to the formation of solidarity. Additionally, I argue that the tensions between intellectuals and social movements, and between protests and organizations have also made solidarity less likely to develop. In the end, I also identify approaches intellectuals and activists can use to extend solidarity. Theoretically, this study aims at deepening our understanding on the political consequence of authoritarianism, and the relationship between civil society and political change.
- Notes:
- Thesis (Ph.D. -- Brown University (2015)
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Citation
Zhou, Mujun,
"Civil Society and the Potential for Solidarity: Toward a Critical Sociology of Post-socialist Chinese Society"
(2015).
Sociology Theses and Dissertations.
Brown Digital Repository. Brown University Library.
https://doi.org/10.7301/Z02B8WFR
