Chinese Journal of Sociology ›› 2018, Vol. 38 ›› Issue (1): 30-53.

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“The Imagination of Fieldwork”: Between Science and Art-a Study of Petitions and Power: The Story of the Migrants of a Dam in China

YING Xing   

  1. School of Sociology, China University of Political Science and Law
  • Online:2018-01-20 Published:2018-01-20
  • Supported by:

    This study was supported by the outstanding young and middle-aged teachers support program and the Social Science Foundation of China University of Political Science and Law (16ZFG84001),and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities.

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Abstract:

Fieldwork has the dual characteristics of empirical work and humanistic nature. The so-called "the imagination of fieldwork" is something between scientific investigation and artistic imagination that closely combines accurate observation with imaginative reproduction. This study examines the fieldwork involving in writing Petitions and Power:The Story of the Migrants of a Dam in China, an investigative report that demonstrates"the imagination of fieldwork". From the perspective of the relationship between fieldwork and theory, the basic issuesin field research are neither generated directly from empirical reality nor deduced from middle range theory. The sphere of "the imagination of fieldwork" is defined within the domain of classical theory, whichis a significant source to field studies. However, in practice, theory must be integrated completely with empirical reality. From the perspective of the relationship between micro and macro level, neither representativeness nor typicality,but complexity is the basic characteristic of "the imagination of fieldwork." This complexity is manifested in many ways such asreflection on the natural legitimacy of "hometown sociology"; the breakthrough on the conformability, systematicness and organicity of the functionalist paradigm; taking the analysis of actors rather than structures as the focus of fieldwork; bringing the historical perspective into fieldwork, and so on. Complexity in fieldwork is not entirely a result of some artificial designsbut rather oftenan outcome of the unexpected. "The imagination of fieldwork" has the characteristics of handcraft. Its cultivation needs special patience and requires not only a great deal of effort on classical theory by taking no easy path, but also constant reflection and careful examinationin the pursuit of complexity.

Key words: the imagination of fieldwork, duality, complexity