Chinese Journal of Sociology ›› 2016, Vol. 36 ›› Issue (4): 1-39.

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“Bringing Back Revolution”: Expanding a New Vision of Sociology

YING Xing   

  1. School of Sociology, China University of Political Science and Law
  • Online:2016-07-20 Published:2016-07-20
  • Supported by:

    This study was supported by the outstanding young and middle-aged teachers support program of China University of Political Science and Law.

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Abstract:

Inspired by the works of Max Weber, Chen Yinke and others, this paper discusses the sociological inquiry of the Chinese revolution and its analysis and methodology in an attempt to bring back revolution, a classical sociological subject, to the field of Chinese sociology. Reflecting on some of the quandaries in the field, this study uses a new research approach that applies “sociological imagination” and empirical methods to gain deeper understanding of the unique political culture of the CCP and its profound historical influence. The discussion focuses on issues such as class lines, democratic centralism and mass line. This approach requires a good grasp of western modernity theory and communism, and the evolution of the Chinese revolution. It entails a systematic collection of historical data as well as a comprehension of the relationship between international origins and domestic roots, the relationship among the three contemporary Chinese revolutions of the 1911 Revolution, the Nationalist Revolution and the Communist Revolution, and the relationship of the political line, organizational line and working line adopted by the CCP. It is emphasized that a holistic historical approach should be applied to local events with the benefit of researches in political, social and intellectual history. Sociologists should avoid presumptions based on their own belief, recognize the complexity of the subject and uphold what Max Weber called academic ethics of “intellectual integrity.”

Key words: revolution, line, eventful sociology, political culture