Chinese Journal of Sociology

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CounterSchool Culture: A Comparative Study of “Lads” and “Zidi”

Author：Zhou Xiao，Institute of Sociology，Chinese Academy of Social Sciences   

  1. Zhou Xiao，Institute of Sociology，Chinese Academy of Social Sciences
  • Online:2011-09-20 Published:2011-09-20
  • Contact: Zhou Xiao，Institute of Sociology，Chinese Academy of Social Sciences E-mail:zhouxiao114@yahoo.com.cn
  • About author:Author：Zhou Xiao，Institute of Sociology，Chinese Academy of Social Sciences

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Abstract:

Through the field work in a school for migrant children in Beijing, the author finds that among the children of migrant workers, some kind of counterschool culture, which is similar to that of “lads” described in learning to labor, is prevailing. However, because of the differences in the institutional arrangement and social conditions, the two counterschool cultures have superficial similarities only but are different in essence. The resistance of “zidi” (children of the migrant workers) is more of selfgiving up than insightful resistance of the domineering order. The paper further analyzes the mechanisms that produce this counterschool “zidi” culture and points out that the lowcost organization mode of reproduction of the migrant labor force has led to the marginalized status of “zidi” for a living, which in turn has made it very difficult for them to move upward via education; therefore, they have given up schooling by rejecting knowledge, and consequentially have completed the social reproduction at the bottom level.

Key words:  “zidi” of migrant labor  ,   counterschool culture ,   mechanism of reproduction