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Wednesday, February 27: Thinking systematically about social class; Marxist and Maoist models and practice Social class and its associated cultural differences have pervaded Chinese society ever since Confucius famously said that "the rites and ceremonies do not go down to the common people," and Mencius followed with "Some work with their minds and some work with their hands. Those who work with their minds rule people; those who work with their hands are ruled by people. Those who work with their hands feed people; those who work with their minds are fed by people." Begin by reading about what this meant in late Imperial times, in a challenging Marxist interpretation of late imperial China, as presented by Hill Gates in her chapter The Tributary and Petty-Capitalist Modes of Production, from her 1996 book, China's Motor. Then take a look at what the Communists did with class and class struggle, in Richard Kraus's chapter on Two Models of Social Stratification, from his 1981 book, Class "Conflict in Chinese Socialism. Please keep in mind that this book, though written in the present tense, was published in 1981. In class, we will fill out some more of Kraus's analysis. You might also want to get a head start on Kipnis's Governing Educational Desire, since you need to finish it (it's short) by Friday, March 1. Friday, March 1: Education and class mobility Education has been an important route of social mobility and social aspiration for thousands of years in China. It was de-emphasized ideologically in Mao's time, though it was still very important in practice. Now, once again, it is extremely important both in the regime's plans for modernization and in families' strategies for social mobility (think back to Fong's Only Hope and forward to her second book, Paradise Redefined). But for today, you should finish reading Governing Educational Desire. Wednesday, March 6: Social Inequality and Migration Spatial inequality (both rural-urban and regional differences) has led to massive migration from poor regions to rich, and most of this migration has been rural young and middle-aged people moving into the cities to work in manufacturing, construction, and service jobs. Pun Ngai's Made in China ties together the rural communities, the migrants that leave them, and the inequalities they face in the city. Read it for today, and we will watch Misha X. Peled's film, China Blue about where your jeans come from. Friday, March 8: Recent changes in migrant communities; integration or a dichotomous society? Things are changing so fast in China that even Made in China and China Blue are getting out of date in some respects. To bring you up to date, look at the results of Pun Ngai's more research, in Unfinished Proletarianization and a more general account by Ching Kwan Lee and Mark Selden, in China's Durable Inequality. |