Chinese Journal of Sociology

From Medical Labels to “Disorder” Reality: The Clinical Ethnography of Childhood Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

LI Rongrong

2024, 44(1): 1-31.

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Diagnosis and treatment are crucial steps in the process of medicalization, in which medical labels are enacted into disease realities. This article focuses on the clinical practice of pediatric psychiatrists， and seeks to advance our understanding of medicalization by providing a “thick description” of this practice. The article analyzes the clinical practice of doctors diagnosing children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder （ADHD） and prescribing medication. It also examines the different actions taken by parents in this process， such as cooperation， hesitation， or capitulation. The medical attributes of ADHA as a neurodevelopmental disorder is not only embedded in the interactive relationships and collaboration networks of medicine， education， and family， but also linked to the clinical practice of diagnosis and treatment. By focusing on clinical practice， the article brings the “human” and moral dimensions of medicalization to the forefront， and in so doing， presents a vivid account of how mental health categories are sometimes smoothly and sometimes haltingly incorporated into everyday life. Ultimately， the article argues that focusing on clinical practice can help us understand the mechanisms of medicalization at the micro level， and its ongoing and unfinished nature as a social process.

Domesticating Cleaning Technologies: User-Adaption Trials in the Model of Interessement

GUO Yusong, HONG Wei

2024, 44(1): 32-60.

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In conjunction with the ongoing rural clean heating renovation project in northern China， this study compares the home adoption of two technologies of air source heat pumps（ASHPs） and wall-mounted natural gas heaters（NGHs） in rural settings. Why hasn't the clean technology introduced into households in Li Village changed the traditional heating methods of most villagers to achieve the expected clean heating results？ This article finds that the lack of technological domestication process is the key to the inability of new technologies to be integrated into villagers' daily lives. The sudden intervention of clean technology is like an intrude of untamed animals. Users need to combine their living habits and household heating needs, and spontaneously complete multiple adaptive trails such as price measurement, adjustment, and transformation based on the flexibility of the technology. In this two-way interaction with clean technology， personalized usage patterns are formed to alleviate the tension between the technical design scripts and users' habits. With low flexibility， ASHPs have resulted in mismatches in terms of device performance， heating costs， and installation space， affecting the participation of villagers in the trials and ultimately limiting their usefulness as an auxiliary tool in addition to the traditional coal-stove heating system. NGHs with high technological flexibility not only provide villagers with powerful information about cost， kitchen renovation and more， but also the possibility to rewrite the original scripts， allowing villagers to take initiatives to produce knowledge and products that meet their daily needs， therefore completing the entire process of home adaptation of new technology. Only by giving space for negotiation between technologies and users can technology-driven social transformation projects better promote changes in people's lifestyles and sustainable green upgrades.

Pluralistic Society and Relationism Mind: Karl Mannheim’s Wissenssoziologie and Epistemology

ZHANG Xueqia

2024, 44(1): 61-90.

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Karl Mannheim's theory of the sociology of knowledge which claimed that knowledge is shaped by social positions made him one of the founding fathers of the branch, but his contribution was also criticized by American academia for relativism， and was therefore excluded from the mainstream of sociology. This paper presents an overview of the discussions and criticisms from the period， distinguishing between specific and general forms of relativism and their countervailing responses in Mannheim's theory. On the first level， specific relativism holds that since the sociology of knowledge believes that all human knowledge is affected by the social position of its creator， the scientific nature of this argument itself is also affected by the position of its proposer. In this regard， Mannheim's point of view is that the understanding of this influence will eventually lead to a higher level of liberation， so the criticism of special relativism does not constitute a substantial deconstruction of Mannheim's theory. On the second level， general relativism accuses Mannheim's theory of threatening the overall legitimacy of social scientific knowledge. Mannheim's response to this criticism is a new type of epistemology that abandons all forms of transcendental truth. By analyzing the German hermeneutics tradition， the impact of interpretivism， and the social dissolutions and people's self-consciousness in Weimar Germany that gave rise to the sociology of knowledge， this paper shows the affinity between the society's anomie status and the vigor of the sociology of knowledge. By comparing the classic sociology of knowledge and its American counterpart， this paper argues that the purpose of Mannheim's sociology of knowledge is to understand dissolution and self-consciousness at the societal level， rather than the production of middle-range causal explanations. Therefore， the insights of Mannheim's epistemology and his new concept of relationism are still of irreplaceable importance to understand today's ideological landscape.

Mathematical Function and Cultural Contract: Malinowski’s Science of Culture

WANG Yanbin

2024, 44(1): 91-125.

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Malinowski's participatory observation establishes the basic field method of modern anthropology. But his methodology is not an isolated investigative technique， but a systematic theory of Science of Culture rooted in the context of social theory. Malinowski's works are conscious dialogues with traditions such as social contract theory and the Durkheim school and reveal the resources he draws from the debate between individualism and collectivism. On the one hand， he is influenced by the Durkheim school， but he does not agree with its social substance theory and denies the existence of a collective consciousness beyond the individual. He advocates the functional theory of mathematical function based on Mach's empirical criticism. This theory opposes the metaphysical assumptions in classical anthropology as well as previous sociological theories， and advocates the universal correlation and interdependence of cultural elements. On this basis， Malinowski develops the social contract theory by using the “cultural contract” to construct the history of human beings from a “pre-cultural” state to a cultural state， and presents the layered construction process of cultural and social organizations based on individual needs. Thus， culture is revealed as an organic whole. On the other hand， he overcomes the tendency of contract theory to substantiate individuals and points out that in reality， there is no real “natural person”. Individuals are completely shaped by culture in functional relationships. Therefore， Malinowski emphasizes a mixture of individualism and collectivism， with society and individuals being closely and interdependently related to each other. The theory of cultural science forms the theoretical basis of Malinowski's field method and permeates his fieldwork， and also significantly influences the exploration of early Chinese sociology and anthropology.

Community Labels and Imperial Expansion: Social Categorization and Imperial Administration in Northwest Sichuan During the Mid-late Ming Period

HU Xiaobai

2024, 44(1): 126-148.

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The non-Han population in northwest Sichuan during the Ming dynasty relied on community labels as a means of differentiation. Examining the origin and connotation of these labels provides an important perspective for understanding the mid-to-late Ming frontier policies and social structure of peripheral regions. In the 15th century, binary communal labels such as “Big/Small Surname，” “Cattle/Goat Tail，” and “Buddhist/Daoist” were widespread， highlighting the tense community relations in local society. Due to its inclination of implementing indirect rule over borderland society， the Ming court did not interfere excessively in local affairs in northwest Sichuan. From the late 15th century to the early 16th century， the Ming court utilized the long-standing local concept of “black-white” labels for frontier governance and sought to reinterpret the cultural connotation of the labels from “kind/evil” to “loyal/disloyal to the Ming”. However， due to limited penetration of the state power at the time， the local and the state connotations of these labels were able to coexist for an extended period in the frontier regions. In the mid-to-late 16th century， the Ming court's borderland knowledge failed to accurately reflect the social reality. Nevertheless， through extensive military operations and subsequent infiltration of imperial power into northwest Sichuan non-Han communities， the Ming successfully reshaped power dynamics within the local society. Consequently， the meanings of “Fan and Qiang” underwent a transformation from quasi-ethnic labels to indicators of degree of assimilation towards the imperial Han. The formation and evolution of cultural connotations of northwest Sichuan community labels during the Ming dynasty can be attributed to an interface between two knowledge systems， highlighting a distinctive form of center-periphery interaction that centers around social categorization. Examining community labels in northwest Sichuan， this article argues， can deepen our understanding of power negotiations and identity politics within non-Han frontier societies during the Ming dynasty.

What Makes a Family：Farmers’ Families That Live Separately but Keep Together

HE Qifeng, ZHOU Xinyu

2024, 44(1): 149-177.

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This article analyzes the phenomenon of “separated but keep together” in four rural families in Micun，Yunnan Province，in response to the question of “what makes a family”. It reflects on and expands the fixed division of family structure and boundaries at the experiential level. The study has found that the ever-changing family forms are just ways to adapt to social changes，which means the current family form is a “temporary solution”. Once a farmer's family encounters a major disruption，the sudden changes in the family's internal situation or external conditions force responsible family members to make compromises and breakthroughs in personal life and economic functions. The process of resolving conflicts manifests as the process of readjusting the relationship between individuals and families to achieve a new balance. Therefore，the survival and prosperity of the vertical axis structure of the family has always been the goal，constituting the most fundamental action logic of each family member. This is the force that unites peasant families. In the current urban-rural relationship，the scattered family structure is a result of farmers'necessity for livelihood. The dispersion of rural family forms does not necessarily mean the occurrence of individualized trends among rural residents. The core purpose of the family drives the dispersion of family forms，and the ethical responsibility transcends space and exerts a binding force on family members scattered in various places. Finally，this article links the actions of family members with the family structure，emphasizing the purpose and principles of action from the perspective of individual family members，while not denying the role of external factors such as economic status. The family structure does not constitute a constraint on the actions of family members，rather，it is the result of the decisions made by family members in accordance with behaviour ethics during the transition period. Economic factors are only a means of contributing to or making it more tortuous to this process.

Raising Hope：The Impact of Intergenerational Mobility on Fertility Desire in China

CAI Weicheng, XIE Yu

2024, 44(1): 178-212.

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Children play such a crucial role in Chinese families that their future socioeconomic prospects significantly influence parents' reproductive decision. Drawing on the data from the 2010-2018 Chinese General Social Survey （CGSS），this study investigates the impact of macro-level intergenerational mobility on fertility intentions. The findings reveal a positive association between relative mobility and desired family size. Mediation analysis highlights the importance of subjective attitudes，including expected social status，subjective well-being，and societal evaluations. Additionally，analyses along socio-economic gradients demonstrate a diminishing effect of relative mobility with increasing socio-economic status，though it remains non-negative among high socio-economic groups. Furthermore，there are gender differences，with a more pronounced pattern observed among men than women，particularly regarding the preference for male offspring. Finally，the method of instrumental variable mitigates attenuation biases from measurement errors. This study advances our understanding of macro-level determinants of fertility intentions and underscores the significance of mobility opportunities for fertility policy considerations.

How Does Social Status of Family Influence the Mental Health Returns of Education：Resource Compensation or Enhancement?

CHANG Qingsong, HU Jingliang, LIU Zixi

2024, 44(1): 213-234.

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There are abundant studies on the relationship between family socioeconomic status， and individual mental health， yet few have explored the topic of whether the impact of education on mental health is heterogeneous among groups of different socio-economic origins. Resource Compensation Theory and Resource Enhancement Theory present a pair of competing hypotheses： when self-induced educational achievements and pre-existing family social status work together， there might be either compensatory effects or a tendency of mutual enhancement to affect mental health. To examine the applicability of these two theoretical hypotheses in China， this study utilizes the 2017 data of the Chinese General Social Survey（CGSS）， taking personal educational level as the core explanatory variable and the social status of family origin as the moderate variable. The study investigates whether the promoting effects of education on mental health vary across different family backgrounds and whether there are gender differences in the moderating effect of social status of family origin. The results of the study indicate that both the social status of family origin and the educational level play significant roles in improving mental health status. Moreover， there is a significant moderating effect of social status of family of origin on the relationship between education and mental health both in the overall population and gender-specific groups， which supports the Resource Compensation Theory. In other words， individuals from disadvantaged social status of family origin can obtain more mental health benefits from education compared to those from higher social strata. Furthermore， compared to males， females facing dual disadvantages obtain much higher mental health returns from educational achievements. This paper provides evidence-based implications for enhancing the mental health of females and individuals with disadvantaged family capital.

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